A new way forward for South Australians to access Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) if they are deemed to be close contacts will commence from today.
A home testing collection supersite has been set up in Adelaide’s south parklands and will be operational from 7am this morning, with online bookings ready to be made right now.
12 other sites around metro and regional South Australia will be operational in the next week, with the Government to update South Australians on those locations in the coming days.
The new process will enable two free RATs to be available for collection by people who register themselves online as close contacts.
Premier Marshall said that using RAT to test close contacts is the next step in our plan to tackle the Omicron outbreak and supplements the great work SA Pathology and our private providers are doing with PCR testing across the state.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have offered free PCR tests to South Australians at SA Pathology and private pathology sites across the state, and for the first time, we will now offer free RATs to close contacts who need it,” Premier Marshall said.
“Providing greater and easier access to RATs is an important step as we enter the next stage of our response.
“This week we started to record the number of positive RATs in our daily COVID numbers and in recent weeks we have removed the requirement for certain people to undertake a PCR test, which has certainly helped reduce wait times at some of our testing sites.
“While a PCR test will still be available to close contacts, and will be crucial for those who have symptoms, offering two free RATs for people who are considered close contacts, will allow us to increase the number of tests taken so we can get a clearer picture of how many COVID positive people are in the community,” Premier Marshall said.
Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier said if a person receives a positive RAT result, they will now not need to have this result confirmed with a PCR test, but still be required to isolate for 10 days from the day of the test.
“We know RATs are not as sensitive as PCR tests, so all people with COVID-19 symptoms and receives a negative RAT, we will still require South Australians to get a PCR test to confirm a negative result,” Professor Spurrier said.
A guide to the new process:
- From today, if you have been identified as a close contact – either by a positive case, directly by SA Health, or due to being at an identified exposure location – you will now have to register yourself through the SA Health website. You can register on behalf of another close contact. Make sure you provide their information when completing the form to ensure results are reported accurately. To register please follow this site: www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVIDRapidAntigenTesting
- Once a close contact has registered online, they will receive a confirmation email and text message that will need to be shown at the RAT pick up point.
- The tests can be administered at home on the days you are required to test.
- Those who registered as close contacts will then receive another text message, and as part of this new process, will be legally required to report their positive result online – or by phone if the person does not have internet access.
The Josie Agius Park/Wikaparntu Wirra (Park 22) Home Testing Collection Supersite instructions:
Entry is from Greenhill Road – left hand turn only into the site. Enter Greenhill Road via left turn from Anzac Highway. Appropriate signage will be up for motorists.
Stay in your vehicle. A mask must be worn at all times, whether you are in your vehicle or not.
The Josie Agius Park/Wikaparntu Wirra (Park 22) Home Testing Collection supersite is open 7.00am to 9.00pm, 7 days a week.
