SINGAPORE- Providers of pre-event testing (PET) for Covid-19 are ramping up resources and hiring or training more staff as they handle a spike in demand.

They were already taking bookings for large-scale events when the Ministry of Health (MOH) last Tuesday (May 4) announced a tightening of restrictions after a surge in local cases.

From May 8 to May 30, the capacity limit for weddings is 250 people with PET or 50 without PET.

Dr Cheryl Glenn, medical director of Sata CommHealth, said the charitable healthcare organisation had seen a 90 per cent increase in inquiries for testing, with more than 100 last Wednesday alone. Most of these were for weddings.

Some wedding invitations could have been sent out much earlier to up to 100 people who could then attend without PET.

Dr Glenn said there were also inquiries for sporting events and events held in educational institutions.

Sata CommHealth is still managing with the increased load, she added.

It has a number of staff trained in doing the antigen rapid test (ART) usually used for PET.

"We also have access to a pool of temporary and locum staff who can perform ART. Concurrently, we are training more of our staff, such as our clinic assistants," she said.

For live performances and meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) events, the limit has been lowered from 750 to 250 people with PET and from 250 to 100 people without PET.

Demand for PET has grown since last year, after the MOH started piloting its use to reduce the risk of undetected Covid-19 cases at events.

According to a list on MOH's website, last updated on April 30, more than 200 locations now offer ARTs, including many general practitioners.

It can cost as low as about $20, though most are about $50.

When it was introduced last year, each test was about $80.

Mr Thomas Wong, chief executive of Kingston Medical Group, said the firm has been booked for more than 60 weddings this month.

There were bookings for 12 weddings on Saturday alone, with more than 100 swabbers and support staff involved.

Mr Wong said: "We... are looking to hire about 100 more staff to support the demand."

Fullerton Health, which has a testing facility at Raffles City Convention Centre and offers an ART at about $53, has seen 10 per cent to 20 per cent more PET inquiries.

Its medical director of clinical services, Dr Walter Lim, said: "Our main capacity has been serving Mice, travel operators and convocation demand, but weddings are a small but fast-growing segment."

With a testing facility able to do about 1,500 to 1,800 swabs a day, he said Fullerton Health was well placed to cope with the demand, though it was considering setting up another testing centre.

"This is to accommodate all areas of demand... I wouldn't rule out other locations, but in the near term we will be increasing our footprint in the Raffles City area," Dr Lim added.

The deputy director of operations at Raffles Medical Group, Ms Jolene Koh, said they have seen an increase in inquiries about PET as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab tests.

While most of the queries on PCR tests were over concerns of possible exposure to someone with Covid-19, she said the firm was also getting couples keen on sending their wedding guests for ARTs, which cost about $55 each.

Ms Koh said the Raffles Medical Group works with its clinics to support the demand in PET.

"All tests are by appointments and we manage our staffing based on these appointments and deploy manpower accordingly," she added.