Staff Reporter
Free State Health MEC Montseng Tsiu has unveiled two mobile COVID-19 screening buses at the Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein.
In a statement released this morning, the provincial health department said the buses arrived on Friday night from Gauteng.
“They are supplied by the National Health Laboratory Services to bolster the capacity of the Free State to screen the selected cases that have been exposed to COVID-19,” read part of the statement.
One of the buses, according to the statement, will be handed over to Pelonomi Hospital for screening while the other one will be given to Universitas Hospital.
On Friday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced the Free State had recorded seven confirmed cases of the coronavirus but expressed fears many more could be infected.
Provincial health authorities immediately launched a massive exercise to trace about 300 members of a local church believed to have made contact with five visitors from overseas who have since tested positive for COVID-19.
Another massive screening exercise was conducted at Brandwag Primary School in Bloemfontein on the same day after a mother to two learners at the school tested positive.
Parents with children in Grades 1-3 were asked to bring them for screening and possible testing. Over 600 tests were set to be conducted.