COVID-19 PCR testing sites in some parts of Australia are inundated with endless queues – sometimes eight hours long – with many people having to wait up to five days to receive results.
A few significant changes to COVID-19 testing advice came into effect on Wednesday, and advice around RATs changed once again after national cabinet met on Thursday.
Here’s your up-to-the-minute guide: five instances when you should opt for a rapid antigen test (RAT) instead of heading to a PCR testing site.
But – before that – an important note. If your RAT result is negative, it’s happy days. But if your result is positive, according to the current government advice, you must go for a PCR test immediately. You must self-isolate between your RAT and before you receive the result of your PCR test. And if your PCR test is positive, you must follow the government guidelines.
1. If you're after some obvious benefits
While RATs are not as accurate as PCR tests, they offer some obvious advantages over PCR testing.
You don't have to visit a high-risk COVID-19 site such as a PCR testing clinic, where the virus is potentially in the air.
You don't have to get in long queues. While there have been supply issues with RAT kits, they are relatively easy to use at home.
You don't have to wait for days on end to know the result: RATs take up to 20 minutes to produce a result.
Endless queues at PCR testing clinics are a common sight in many parts of Australia. Source: AAP
They're safe for children, too. But, according to the Department of Health, those under 12 will need a parent or guardian to perform the test on them.
So if you want to make the most of these advantages, stick to RATs.
2. If you’re just curious
Opt for RATs instead of lining up at PCR sites and further overwhelming the health system if you’re just curious to know whether you’re COVID-19 positive or negative.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved 15 rapid antigen test kits for use in Australia, with some more clinically sensitive than others.
It costs about $10 and $20 to conduct one RAT.
3. If you’re travelling to some parts of Australia
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed on Wednesday travellers to the Sunshine State will no longer have to cite a negative PCR test.
A negative RAT will be just fine, the premier said, after New South Wales blamed long delays in testing queues and results on holiday travellers.
“We have to acknowledge that our resources are not infinite and so we do have to start to direct the testing more,” James Trauer, head of the Epidemiological Modelling Unit for the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, told SBS News.
“We do need to start using PCRs in situations where they’re of the most value, like if you were an aged-care worker and you had symptoms. That would be a really critical person who would need to get tested with a definitive result as soon as possible,” Dr Trauer said.
“I think the least important situation now is people crossing state borders. It’s almost a waste of resources,” he said.
Victoria, NSW, South Australia and the ACT don’t require domestic travellers to undertake a PCR test, and travellers to Tasmania will be required to take a rapid antigen test one day before arriving in the island state after it shelved a 72-hour pre-travel PCR test requirement.
The Northern Territory still stipulates a negative PCR test be cited as a condition of entry.
Meanwhile, Western Australia continues to be isolated until quarantine-free travel resumes on 5 February next year.
But these guidelines are constantly evolving, so for the latest info, always visit these official state and territory links: , , , , , , and .
4. If you want to keep COVID at bay at workplaces
Many organisations are getting on the front foot to stop the spread of COVID-19 by asking employees to get tested regularly if they’re working in offices.
Opting for RATs, instead of asking the employees to line up at PCR testing sites, is an effective way for employers to prevent infection unknowingly circulating through their organisation, or being passed on to their customers, which may risk public health.
Organisations paying for RATs for their employees also takes some load off the government, which has to pay to provide PCR testing.
Changes to the usage of rapid antigen testing may be brought in when the national cabinet meets. Source: AAP
5. If you’re a close contact of a case
A raft of changes were announced following a national cabinet meeting on Thursday with regard to COVID testing.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said household contacts will be made to quarantine for seven days after their last exposure and, subject to a negative RAT on day six, monitor for symptoms.
If RATs are positive, these should be followed by a PCR test to confirm the diagnosis, he added.
PCR tests are still the preferred test for symptomatic individuals.
