Supermarket Covid kits banned in SA despite interstate, international use

Nicola Spurrier says there are plans to allow rapid antigen tests onto SA shelves but shoppers will not be first in line despite the kits being in common use interstate and overseas.

They are one of the keys to fighting the spread of Covid-19 around the world, but rapid antigen tests are still banned in South Australia and won’t be sold in supermarkets until there is community transmission.

Regulations prohibit sale of the tests in South Australia despite them being approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and available in other states and widely used overseas.

However chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier told Advertiser.com.au viewers in a live Q&A session there is a plan to have the tests on sale in supermarkets when the time is right.

She noted the tests can give false positive readings and are not as sensitive as the PCR tests in use in SA so are not yet required.

“Rapid antigen tests are an excellent public health measure as an adjunct to everything else we do but they really come into their own when we have community transmission,” she said.

Community Care Chemists CEO Nick Salkeld with the test kits. Picture: Mike Dugdale

A Covid-19 testing station at Netball SA stadium in Mile End. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“The only place we should be using them is if we’ve got community transmission.

“We have a plan to be rolling that out and lifting up the ability to be able to buy them in the future.

The first phase will be introducing them in various sectors and businesses — for example in hospitals and in our emergency departments; in the mining sector we have been piloting that, also with the freight industry.

“So we will be starting to use those more broadly, we will see them more in our community as we move forward.”

Prof Spurrier confirmed that as their use became more widespread — along with Covid — the public would be able to buy them in supermarkets.

An SA Health statement on the issue says: “Currently the use of over-the-counter rapid antigen testing kits are prohibited in SA however this may be reviewed in future.

“Oral and nasal swab testing (PCR testing) is the most sensitive and accurate way to test for Covid-19 and will remain the gold-standard method for testing in SA.”

SA-BEST MLC Frank Pangallo said the kits are in such strong demand interstate they are in short supply.

Chief public health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

In answer to questions in parliament from Mr Pangallo, Health Minister Stephen Wade said his understanding from SA Health is the tests would be appropriate “but at a very different stage of the pandemic.”

“In a community where you have low or no community transmission my understanding is SA Health believes it is better to continue to use the higher reliability PCR tests,” he said.

“As we do let Covid in we make every effort to slow the spread of the disease, but in due course, my understanding would be that there would be a point where SA Health would say that the Covid in the community is such that rapid antigen testing by private individuals would be appropriate.

“The bottom line is we are in a very different situation to Victoria, NSW and the ACT, and it is SA Health’s view that we should maintain the current prohibition.”