Labs here operating at 80% capacity amid surge in PCR tests

Laboratories in Singapore are operating at over 80 per cent capacity to meet the recent demand for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests amid the surge in Covid-19 testing, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said, with private labs saying results may be delayed.

Parkway Laboratories chief executive Daniel Tan said the surge in the number of swabs being sent in daily may see delays beyond 24 hours.

In a reply to queries from The Straits Times, MOH said that as at Tuesday, there are 27 laboratories that conduct Covid-19 tests in Singapore and they can do up to 70,000 tests daily.

They support the Covid-19 PCR testing requirements in the hospitals, clinics, regional screening centres, dormitories and all testing operations mounted for active case finding and screening purposes.

Many also support Covid-19 serological testing, which looks for antibodies in a blood sample to determine if it is a past infection.

"The utilisation of total lab capacity has significantly increased as well, from about 30 per cent to 40 per cent prior to the recent clusters, to over 80 per cent in early May 2021," said MOH.

The ministry added that the Government has been steadily building up the national capacity to conduct tests for Covid-19.

From an average of 2,900 PCR tests per day in early April last year, it has ramped up lab capacity to conduct between 60,000 and 70,000 tests per day from January this year.

Private labs that ST reached out to said demand has surged significantly. Dr Tan said the daily average number of swabs received in the past two weeks was almost double that from a month ago. He declined to reveal figures.

His lab, which comes under IHH Healthcare Singapore, currently processes swab tests for more than 200 general practitioner clinics, four IHH Healthcare hospitals, some nursing homes, prisons and migrant worker dormitories.

Innoquest Diagnostics said it has been receiving 15,000 to 20,000 swabs on average daily since May 17, a threefold spike from the 5,000 to 7,000 received on average daily last month.

It processes Covid-19 swab tests for more than 500 general practitioner clinics, a few private and public hospitals as well as swabbing sites.

Its chief executive Ginny Foo said the increased workload may see the six-hour wait for swab test results for clinically urgent cases delayed to up to 12 hours.

The duration does not factor in processing time for swabbing, logistics and the upload of test results to the National Electronic Health Record system.

MOH said those swabbed as part of rostered routine testing in the community do not need to self-isolate while waiting for the result of their PCR tests.

But those who present symptoms of acute respiratory infection at medical clinics, polyclinics, emergency departments or are referred to designated regional screening centres are required to take both the antigen rapid test (ART) and PCR test.

They will be issued with at least a three-day medical certificate (MC) and are required by law to stay home for the duration of their MC, or until they receive a negative Covid-19 test result, whichever is sooner.

"During the period of their MC, they should only leave their home to seek medical attention if necessary," said the ministry.

It added that individuals will generally receive their test results within 24 hours of their swabs, "but this may be longer based on lab capacity and testing demands".

"We work with labs to prioritise the result turnaround times for those who test positive for ARTs or have acute respiratory infection symptoms, as well as those tested as part of special testing operations," the ministry said, adding that those who receive a positive PCR test result will be isolated and sent to appropriate care facilities for medical care.