Whenever a piece of good news is reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is inevitably followed by a chunkier piece of bad news.
In recent weeks, ever since the number of community infections shot up, the authorities have increased testing extensively to ringfence infections and prevent further spread in the community.
This is good news for us, as the more tests that are done, the clearer our picture of how serious the COVID-19 outbreak is.
Unfortunately, because the number of tests has exponentially increased within a short space of time, it may take a little longer to get your result.
Expect Delays in COVID-19 Test Results as Labs Are Receiving More Samples
At least that’s what Parkway Laboratories chief executive Daniel Tan believes.
Speaking to ST, Mr Tan said that those waiting for their COVID-19 test results may experience delays of more than 24 hours due to the spike in the number of swabs they are receiving every day.
While he could not reveal the exact figure because the information is sensitive, Mr Tan said the number of swabs sent to his lab in the past two weeks is almost double the amount from a month ago.
As a result, some lab technicians have been working 16 to 18 hours daily since two weeks ago, with a few even volunteering to return to the lab their days off.
Other independent labs, swamped with swabs, are experiencing the same thing.
Consequently, these labs are now rushing to get more machines and hire more technicians.
No Need to Self Isolate If Tested As Part of RRT in Community
Even though you might have to wait a little longer for your test result, you may not have to self-isolate while doing so.
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), those swabbed as part of rostered routine testing in the community do not need to self-isolate while waiting for their PCR test result.
However, if you’re exhibiting symptoms of acute respiratory infection and seek medical attention, you will be issued with at least a three-day medical certificate and be required to stay at home until it ends, or until you receive a negative test result.
27 Labs in Singapore that Can Conduct up to 70,000 Tests Daily
To give you an idea of how many tests the authorities are carrying out every day, there are 27 labs that conduct COVID-19 tests in Singapore, and they can do a total of 70,000 tests a day.
Prior to the recent community outbreak, these labs were operating at 30 to 40%, MOH said. Now, they’re operating at more than 80%.
We have come quite a long way since the coronavirus emerged, though.
Back in April 2020, we only had the capacity to carry out around 2,900 PCR tests per day.
Now, we can do between 60,000 and 70,000 tests daily.
Let’s hope this number keeps going up.
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