SA approves rapid antigen tests for sale from Christmas Eve

Wait times at Covid testing clinics skyrocketed again overnight, but most are now back under 3 hours, as much-anticipated rapid antigen tests are set to hit SA shelves today.

People were waiting up to nine hours at Covid testing stations in SA overnight, as a computer glitch also slowed results – but wait times have now improved.

The Advertiser understands lines were long at several testing clinics overnight, including Victoria Park, Bedford Park and Ridgehaven, where people have been waiting for up to nine hours to be tested overnight.

One woman who called ABC radio said she had gone to the Bedford Park clinic at 12.15am and was about five cars front the front of the queue at 6.30am.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said an IT issue had also caused a delay in results getting processed.

“For people getting tested, your details get put in electronically and it’s very speedy, and that system was down overnight,” she told ABC 891.

“It’s been rectified, but I want to say sorry to those who have been lining up overnight.

“Our lab will be working very very hard … to make sure that we can get a really quick turnaround for people.”

But wait times have now improved across most sites, with the majority now around two hours, and some as little as one hour.

At 10.30am, Victoria Park still had a wait of more than five hours.

Meanwhile, rapid antigen tests that check for Covid-19 will go on sale in SA today after the state government lifted a ban on the self-administered kits.

However, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s SA branch says many chemists have been blindsided by the snap decision to lift the ban on the sale of the tests and likely won’t have stock on shelves until next week.

Premier Steven Marshall announced late on Thursday afternoon that RATs would be permitted to be sold in SA to the general public from Christmas Eve.

RATs produce a result within 10-20 minutes but are not as accurate as PCR tests.

Another kind of rapid antigen test. Picture: Chris Kidd.

A view of a used rapid antigen test. Picture: AFP

Drakes and Foodland Supermarkets say they are ready to go, with tests expected to be available for sale in all of their stores at some point during Friday.

The Advertiser understands there were no RATs at Frewville Foodland at 7.30am Friday morning, and they were not expected at the store until Wednesday.

Woolworths says it will have RATs available for sale in its SA stores “towards the end of next week” however customers can order kits from Friday via its online store healthylife.com.au.

Covid-19 testing in Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

“Our team is currently working to transport the stock from our centralised distribution centres, through the supply chain and into stores as quickly as possible,” a spokeswoman said.

However, Pharmacy Guild of Australia SA Branch President Nick Panayiaris warned that many chemists were not prepared for the sudden lifting of the ban, which was announced just hours before it came into effect.

“It’s just frustrating that we haven’t been given enough notice to prepare community pharmacies to have stock and therefore make them available to consumers,” he said.

“It will just be unpredictable in terms of who has stock and who doesn’t – (Many) probably wont be able to get stock in until next week.”

Mr Panayiaris said pharmacies had in recent days been trying in vain to order RATs in anticipation of being able to legally offer them in their stores.

But he said the ban prohibited wholesalers and suppliers from even selling to chemists, crippling their ability to prepare for an expected groundswell of demand ahead of Christmas.

Despite this, Mr Panayiaris ultimately welcomed the lifting of the ban, saying it would enable people to self-check for Covid-19 before going to functions and visiting vulnerable friends and family.

It is understood supermarkets may have been able to stockpile tests ahead of Friday because they had moved – not sold – tests from their own stocks interstate to their SA stores.

All states and territories across Australia, except WA and SA, already allowed the sale and use of rapid antigen tests.

Although members of the SA general public weren’t allowed to buy the tests, RATs were permitted to be used to screen workers in the state’s health, food productions, mining, aged care and transport sectors.

A rapid Antigen test kit such as those available in New Zealand. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Drakes Supermarkets director John-Paul Drake said Drakes stores would have “extremely limited” stocks of twin-pack of oral rapid antigen testing kits available for sale on Friday for under $30.

“While we’re not going to impose purchase limits for now, I do ask people to calm the farm and only buy what you need,” he said.

Foodland Supermarkets chief executive officer Franklin dos Santos also urged customers to “shop respectfully and only for what they need”.

“Purchase limits may be implemented to ensure that we can maintain stock levels during this high demand period,” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, the Premier said there were “millions of rapid antigen test kits here in SA, ready for the roll out”.

At the time, Mr Marshall said the state was “only days away” from making the tests more broadly available.

In announcing the lifting of the ban, Mr Marshall said SA stores would take time to transport the stock to their shelves so he urged the community to remain patient over the coming days if tests were not immediately available.

“We planned for the use of Rapid Antigen Testing to be implemented when we reached a level of Covid within the community and we have now hit that mark,” he said.

SA Health chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier stressed RATs were “not a diagnostic test for Covid-19” and urged anyone who had symptoms or was a close contact of a confirmed case to get a PCR test at one of the testing clinics.

“With higher rates of Covid-19 now in our community the expanded use of RAT provides an excellent additional layer of protection and reassurance for individuals,” she said.

“It will also ensure we prioritise the PCR tests for everyone who had COVID-19 symptoms.”

Professor Spurrier said the RATs were for well people with no symptoms.

She said they could be helpful if people used them:

BEFORE entering a high risk setting, such as health or aged care facilities;

BEFORE going out where there may be crowds;

BEFORE going to work, especially if it is a critical worksite; and

TO provide reassurance to asymptomatic people who are feeling anxious or worried in the current Covid climate.