In the two days that the SCS requested for people aged 18-45 years old to visit one of three health centres in Santa Cruz, La Laguna and Granadilla de Abona, to have an antigen test as part of a mass screening to prevent the spread of the virus in Tenerife, only 3% responded and went for a test, sending out a strong message to the rest of population and the authorities.
Figures have been updated this morning confirming that only 1,730 of the almost 54,000 people the screening was directed at went to the health centres, which produced 127 positives with antigen tests (50 on Saturday and 68 on Sunday), who have all been summoned back to confirm this result with a PCR test.
At the La Cuesta Health Centre in La Laguna, 323 people were screened and 18 positives were detected, while 874 people from Granadilla and San Miguel attended the San Isidro Health Centre, confirming 84 positives, and 533 tests were performed the Tíncer centre in the Barranco Grande area of Santa Cruz, where 25 were positive.
Carrying out an antigen test, and then confirming with a PCR if positive, was the objective of this screening, the success of which largely depended on the number of people who participated, which the Health Service has agreed is “extremely disappointing”. A spokesperson said: “The target was for 8,000 people to be tested over the weekend between the three centres, so 1,690 is a very poor turnout. It sends out a strong message to the rest of the population and the authorities about the attitude of young people to the virus.”
