Singapore Prepares 100 COVID-19 Test Kits Automatic Seller Machines, Free!

COVID-19 test kit automatic seller machine. (Ministry of Health Malaysia via CNA)

JAKARTA - If nothing goes wrong, Singaporeans who receive COVID-19 health risk alerts or other health risk alerts via SMS can pick up a rapid antigen (ART) test kit at 100 automatic seller machines across Singapore starting 18 September.

Later, after using the test kits, they can be collected at 56 locations in non-residential areas throughout Singapore, the Ministry of Health of Singapore (MoH) said on Friday.

Health risk alerts are issued for people identified as close contacts of COVID-19 cases. They are required by law to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at certain clinics and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

They must also do their own swab using an ART independent COVID-19 test kit on the third, fifth, and seventh day from the date they were last exposed to a COVID-19 case they were in close contact with. Another PCR test at the clinic is required on or after the eighth day.

If all of these are met, their health risk warning period will expire on day 10 of exposure. The cost of all swab tests is borne by the government, but it is free, said the Ministry of Health.

Health risk alerts, on the other hand, are issued to people whose SafeEntry records overlap with COVID-19 cases. Considered to be at lower risk compared to people who were given a health risk warning, they were required to have an ART test on the third and fifth days from the last date of exposure.

Starting September 18, individuals receiving SMS can scan their identity to receive three ART self-defense COVID-19 test packages at automatic seller machines and use them for necessary tests.

Meanwhile, a complete list of collection points and steps for collecting ART self-test kits is available on a website that has been determined and can be accessed by the public.

People who have received the health risk warning have been very cooperative, with more than 90 percent of them taking the necessary tests and self-isolating, which is very encouraging, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

"I think at the moment, nothing beats our own personal responsibility. I think we continue to rely on that as we plot the curve and go through this wave," Minister Ong quoted CNA as saying Friday 17 September.

Minister Ong added that Singapore's level of COVID-19 vaccination had prevented many cases of severe COVID-19 illness.

"Vaccination alone will not allow Singapore to live with COVID-19, taking into account other factors such as treatment, wearing of masks, and testing regimes," he concluded.