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The Eastern Cape Health Department has urged communities to comply with field health workers who will be dispersed across the province to screen people for COVID-19.
This is part of a national mass screening programme aimed to contain the spread of the virus.
EC Health spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo says if you need to be tested the following process will be followed:
Nasal swab:
A practitioner wearing protective clothing will require you to be in a seated position.
Then she will tilt your head backwards with the left hand and ask you to hold the position with your chin up to have a good view of the nose and throat.
Then a nasal swap is inserted from nostrils down to the back of the nose. The practitioner then takes a swap to get the specimen and pull back the swap slowly and safety before placing it in a jar.
Throat swab:
This is conducted in the same head position as with the nasal swab.
The patient is asked to open his/her mouth.
The community-based worker will use a tongue depressor, take the swab from your tonsils and back of the throat and put the specimen in the jar.
Kupelo said the test might be uncomfortable but is not painful.
The screening will start in several areas of the Eastern Cape on Monday with mobile units being allocated to the Sarah Baartman, Amathole, OR Tambo districts.
The Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi districts will share a mobile unit as no cases have been reported in these areas yet.
Mobile units will also be allocated to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
