You Can Go To These Test Centres For ARTs To Have Covid-19 Positive Status Recorded In 30 Minutes — No Need To Go To The GP Or A&E

As Covid-19 cases in Singapore have been rising, so have the number of people who have tested positive on an antigen rapid test (ART) at home, albeit with little or no symptoms. This would place them under Protocol 2 of current Covid-19 recovery arrangements — that is, individuals who are well but have tested positive for Covid-19 should isolate at home for 72 hours, and thereafter, can resume normal activities when they’ve tested negative on an ART. They should only visit a doctor if they are feeling unwell.

Yet, the Ministry of Health has reported a surge in the number of patients — many with little or no symptoms — at general practitioner (GP) clinics, polyclinics and even emergency departments.

Individuals do so to get their infected status officially documented reportedly for a few reasons. These could include getting medical certificates for work or school purposes, get free ART kits, or to be exempt from Covid-19 testing for travel (vaccinated travellers who have recovered from Covid-19 within seven to 90 days of their departure to Singapore need not undergo testing).

Skip the GP and A&E, go to QTCs and CTCs instead

From Feb 16 to Mar 15, individuals who have tested positive on an ART at home and have little or no symptoms can book an appointment to do a supervised self-administered ART at any Combined Test Centre (CTC) or Quick Test Centre (QTC) from Feb 16 until Mar 15. Test results will be updated in MOH records and reflected in the individual's HealthHub profile within approximately 30 minutes.

They will also be notified by SMS on the results of the ART. Upon a positive test result, they will be placed under Protocol 2 and can collect three free ART kits from vending machines (find out where here).

These tests will be free for these four weeks (book it here). However, CTCs and QTCs will not issue recovery memos or medical certificates as these are not required for people to return to work or school.

This is not mandatory if you are classified under Protocol 2. Instead, it's being implemented to alleviate the pressure on GPs, polyclinics and emergency departments.

Where are the QTCs and CTCs located?

There are currently 48 test centres islandwide that you can register for a supervised self-administered ART. By the end of the week, up to 205 such locations are expected to be available, according to MOH.

These are the locations that you can go to (as of Feb 16):

Source: MOH

Main photo: Unsplash/Annie Spratt