Do-it-yourself Covid-19 test kits will soon be available at pharmacies here, as Singapore ramps up testing to detect the disease more quickly and prevent its spread.
These DIY test kits, which will be available over the counter, will be simple to use and not so uncomfortable, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday during a live address.
The kits will be the latest in Singapore's variety of coronavirus testing options, which include swab tests such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and the antigen rapid test (ART).
PM Lee said: "These alternatives to PCR tests help us detect and isolate people quickly when they are most infectious.
"This will be a big help in slowing down the spread of Covid-19."
PCR tests are the most accurate, but usually take a day or two for the results to be known. The less accurate ART returns results in about 30 minutes and is used heavily for pre-event testing.
PM Lee said that people will be able to purchase and administer these test kits if they are worried that they may have Covid-19 and want to put their mind at ease.
Front-line workers can also administer these tests on their own, if they wish to test themselves frequently or even daily, he added.
During a virtual media conference yesterday, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung reiterated that these DIY kits will be simple enough for people to perform the test themselves.
"So it works, almost like a pregnancy test kit. And you can do so before you go to work. And that way, it is even more flexible in terms of deployment," he said.
Singapore's director of medical services Kenneth Mak said that the Health Ministry is working on how such a test would be done, and for what kind of circumstances such a test would be appropriate.
Besides these upcoming DIY test kits, Singapore has also introduced other new Covid-19 testing options.
PM Lee highlighted that Covid-19 breathalyser tests, which can process results within a minute, are already being used at the Causeway and at Changi Airport.
He noted that many different types of Covid-19 tests have become available, including saliva tests and wastewater surveillance tests. Sniffer dogs are also an option.
"We have been using some of these, and evaluating others, for some time. Each of these new tests is suited to different use cases," he said.
Hariz Baharudin
