South Africa’s Hotspot Limits Most Testing to Above Age 55

An elderly man, a resident of the sprawling township of Alexandra in Johannesburg, opens his mouth to receive a testing swab for COVID-19 coronavirus at a screening and testing drive in front of the Madala Hostel, on April 27, 2020. Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images

CAPE TOWN, South Africa—South Africa’s worst hotspot for the CCP virus is no longer testing most people under age 55 as it tries to clear a backlog of 27,000 tests amid a shortage of kits.

Western Cape province, centered on the city of Cape Town, will test people under 55 only if they have serious health conditions, have been admitted to a hospital, or are a front-line health worker, Premier Alan Winde said.