Answers in 20 mins – No lab required!
Just R250, with a further R50 discount for 60 years+
Each test comes with a free certificate!
Only using reliable & certified Rapid Antigen tests
Book our Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test now!
What our EPIC clients have to say
Compliments to your staff and centre. I was so impressed by how the entire process was handled. So polite and comforting and professional.
Very impressed with your service. Your Staff were professional and well mannered. Will definitely recommend you!
Baie danke dat julle epicentre gekry het om my COVID-19 toets tuis to kom doen. Die hele proses was glad nie onaangenaam nie, Josh was baie vriendelike en die toets was vinnig en glad nie traumaties soos wat die staat en social media jou wil laat dink nie. Weereens dankie, ek sal jul op hoogte hou oor die resultaat proses.
What a fast and friendly service!
My client would like to thank the entire Cape Town Epicentre team, for the excellent manner in which their employees have been made aware of their status.
I am so grateful for all that Johann has done for us as a family and still doing. I am eternally grateful, and I stand in awe of his kindness. It brings tears to my eyes to think that someone can be so kind to total strangers. May the Lord bless you and keep you and take you from strength to strength. I took my uncle from a drug house about two months ago. He was slowly disappearing because of malnutrition. He doesn’t have any children or a wife. We all he has, and now you are willing to go the extra mile for him. My words are not enough to thank you. 🙏🏼 Bless you sir
They are simply the best! Good customer service, cognisant of the need for sensitivity and confidentiality and very friendly. I used to do my tests with another facility but now I’m a repeat client at Epicentre and the best part is that they take walk-ins. I needed to do a lot of tests and screenings two weeks ago, the results were delivered earlier than promised and yesterday, I went back for other tests. Please check them out, you won’t regret it! They are currently doing a Cough Check tor free, I already did mine.
This is a really great place to get any kind of pathology work done. The staff are very kind and efficient and the discounted prices of the tests are an added bonus. I would highly recommend this centre.
My experience getting blood tests at the Epicentre has been excellent as the staff are all very friendly and professionally. The staff are well trained at taking blood painlessly and if they feel they can’t find the vain they will find a more senior staff member to do it. As someone with difficult collapsed veins i never worry about becoming a pin cushion at Epicentre.
The people here are so friendly and helpful. My blood was taken quickly efficiently and painlessly and my results were recieved a day later via email. I give them a five star rating.
What is a ‘Rapid COVID Antigen test’?
Antigen tests, like the name suggests, test for antigens. An COVID-19 Antigen test basically looks for fragments of COVID-19 antigens within a person’s body to see if they’re infected with the virus.
“An antigen is a substance recognized by the body’s immune system, which can [then] respond by generating proteins called antibodies that specifically recognize that antigen,” Albert Shaw, MD, a Yale Medicine infectious disease doctor and professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine
That basically means, “the point of an antigen test is to detect the presence of a protein—the nucleocapsid protein—which is part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is the cause of COVID-19.” [Dr Shaw].
What is the Rapid COVID Antigen test procedure?
To do an Antigen test for COVID-19 with Epicentre, you will need to either book a test online or just pop in to one of our branches.
The way a COVID-19 Antigen test works is similar to a PCR COVID-19 test. We will have a nurse open a new Antigen Test packet. We will then use a new nasal saw to collect a nasal cavity swab. Our nurses are very gentle and whilst the test will be over quickly, we will do our best to make you feel calm and safe during the entire process.
This swab will “then be placed into a special solution for virus detection,” says Dr. Shaw.
You will then wait 20 minutes while your test ‘loads’ your results. After which we will share your result with you.
Who should get a Rapid COVID Antigen test?
Having an Antigen test is helpful if:
You have recently started symptoms of COVID-19
Your doctor thinks you may have the novel coronavirus and have recently started (1-3) symptoms
You have been in close contact with an individual suspected of or confirmed to have COVID-19 more than 5-7 days ago, and you want to have a quick test done to check your status
You are looking to get a test done for an official purpose such as leaving the country, having a medical procedure or flight – as this method of testing has not yet been approved for these purposes in all countries.
You have been exposed to COVID-19 and started symptoms more than 3 days ago
Get an Antigen & PCR test if:
Antigen testing has a greater possibility of a false negative, especially if you are out of the peak infection testing times. If you are unsure of your negative test result, rather get a PCR test to be absolutely certain of your negative result.
Some countries require both a COVID-19 Antigen test and PCR test, always ask the airline what is needed for your destination country.
An Antigen Test is looking for antigen fragments, you will have the most fragments when you have the most COVID virus in your body. This stage can be seen on the graph, when the purple block is highest.
This happens when you are at your peak infectiousness 2-3 days before your symptoms start to 2-3 days after your symptoms begin.
This stage will start, 5 days after you come in contact with an infected person, when your incubation period ends; and this period when you can test ends 3 to 4 days after you start your symptoms. This can clearly be seen on the chart above, as the purple bars represent the amount of virus in your body. You can see how the amount of virus shoots up suddenly at day 0 and drops off suddenly after 3-4 days.
When should you get a Rapid COVID Antigen test?
How can a Rapid COVID Antigen test help you?
A Rapid COVID-19 Antigen test can help you:
Find out if you currently have COVID-19 & are highly infectious
If you need to have a very quick test to determine your COVID-19 status
For travel to some countries
What Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test Does Epicentre Use?
The Healgen Coronavirus Ag Antigen Rapid Test
This COVID-19 Antigen test that has been approved for use in South Africa, Germany, the USA and by the UK. The accuracy of this test is 96.3%, and it has a high sensitivity and specificity. It is also CE certified.
Where can you get a Walk-In Lab test?
You can get a wide range of tests with our testing angels at one of our many branches!
Book with Epicentre
For 20 years Epicentre has been fighting South African’s infectious diseases, and now we’re taking on COVID-19! We are a company founded on a vision, ending disease in South Africa! So we believe in making an IMPACT.
We are an independent organization that is committed to creating a positive impact on health & wellness for all in South Africa. We want to close the gap between unscreened, undiagnosed, and uncontrolled HIV & COVID-19 infections as well as other chronic diseases for all South Africans.
By booking your tests with Epicentre, you are supporting a real local company that has worked for 20 years in all 9 provinces, from Pollsmoor prison to Constantia; & you’re getting a gold standard service that experts trust!
Epicentre offers
Walk-In Lab
Please note that our packages are just a guide, you can pick any of these tests in these packages, add extra tests or take out any tests. Choose what suits your needs!
Drive-Thru COVID Tests
Contact Us
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