Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on May 31 that Covid-19 DIY (DIY) test kits will soon be available for purchase at Singapore’s Watsons, Guardian and Unity pharmacies.
Unlike nasal and throat tampons, the DIY test kit does not require the help of tampons or medical professionals, and Singaporeans can administer them themselves at home.
Following its announcement, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced today (June 10) that four pharmacists will sell four brands of Covid-19 rapid antigen testing (ART) kits for self-tests starting June 16.
They include the Abbott PanBio COVID-19 antigen self-test, the QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 test, the SARS-CoV-2 SDS biosensor nasal self-test, and the SD Q Biosensor Standard Q COVID-19 Ag home test.
These self-test kits have received provisional authorization from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to sell them to the general public.
According to MOH, these test kits are simple to use and can be self-administered.
“From next week, on June 16, these kits will be dispensed by pharmacists in certain retail pharmacies. We will then open up in the opposite way to retail sales at more retail outlets, ”Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at a press conference of various working groups.
Sales will initially be limited to 10 ART kits per person to ensure there are “adequate supplies for everyone,” added Kenneth Mak, director of medical services at the Ministry of Health.
However, as more supplies become available for retail, authorities “will eventually allow test kits to be purchased freely,” he said.
Mak further added that the self-test kits “complement” Singapore’s global surveillance strategy.
“These quick, easy-to-use tests allow us to detect infected cases more quickly, particularly among people who do not show symptoms of acute respiratory infection, but are concerned that they may have been exposed to COVID-19,” he said. .
What if you have a negative result?
These self-test kits can produce results in less than 20 minutes.
Those who test positive on these self-test kits should immediately go to a Swab and Send Home Public Health Clinic (SASH PHPC) for a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. ).
They should then be isolated on their own until they receive a negative PCR test result.
Meanwhile, those who test negative in their ART self-test should continue to monitor and follow current safe management measures.
“People with AI symptoms should continue to visit a doctor for a complete diagnosis and a PCR test instead of relying on an ART self-test kit,” the ministry said.
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