COVID-19 event testing
Available country-wide
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.
Our COVID-19 Event Testing Explained
Hosting an event is difficult. Hosting an event during COVID-19 can be a bit of a nightmare. We all want to keep our events safe, and our team at Epicentre can help you achieve that.
We can help you conduct Rapid COVID-19 Antigen tests on your guests as they arrive, helping to catch active COVID-19 infections before they enter and infect other guests. This will help relax both your guests and your employees. This lets them focus on the fun of your event and attracts a wider range of guests that usually avoid going out due to the risk.
We have extensive experience conducting Rapid COVID-19 Antigen tests, which the highly accurate, leading method of catching a COVID-19 infection before it catches your event. Our nurses are fast, gentle and organized, you can trust them to test your attendees with the utmost safety and professionalism.
How to Book Epicentre’s COVID-19 Testing At Your Event
To book an event with Epicentre, all you need to do is email us at sales@epicentre.org.za. We operate within KZN, GP and WP. You can give our regional offices a call at 087 072 5300
What is a COVID-19 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 COVID Antigen Test Procedure?
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.
When will a COVID Antigen test pick up a COVID-19 Infection?
1. They have recently started symptoms of COVID-19 (1-3 days)
2. They have been in close contact with an individual suspected of or confirmed to have COVID-19 between 5-7 days ago
What is a COVID-19 Antibody Test?
Antibody tests, like the name suggests, test for antibodies not viruses; so our COVID-19 Antibody tests don’t look for the presence of the coronavirus. Instead, they find the proteins, or antibodies, that our bodies’ immune systems makes in response to COVID-19.
Our COVID-19 Antibody tests look for two kinds of antibodies that our immune system produces in response to the coronavirus:
1. IgM antibodies
These are short-lived antibodies that our body makes when we are fighting off the COVID-19 infection. These antibodies normally appear from 7 day into fighting off the virus. If you test positive for this antibody, it means that you are a new COVID-19 infection, and you are contagious for the virus.
These antibodies only stay in your body for a short time and usually disappear a few weeks after your infection. That is why we can use this antibody to pick up if you may be infected with COVID-19. But that is also why it is recommended that should we pick up the IgM antibody, you should also use a PCR COVID (infection) test to confirm your infection.
2. IgG antibodies
The presence of IgG antibodies on your test can tell you if your immune system has ever had to fight off COVID-19. These antibodies usually appear in your blood 2 weeks after you recover from the virus.
IgG antibodies stay in your body a long time (sometimes for a lifetime) and help give you immunity against catching the virus again. If you test positive for these antibodies, not only will you know for certain that you had the virus, but you will also know that you have some protection against catching the virus again.
What is the COVID Antigen Test Procedure?
We have a nurse clean your finger with an alcohol swab. We then use a new lancet to make a small prick in your finger. A pipit will be used to draw a small sample of your blood. This sample will then be placed into the circular sample deposit site of the Orient Gene COVID19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette.
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.
You will then wait 10 minutes while your test ‘loads’ your results. After which we will share your result with you.
When will a COVID Antibody test pick up COVID-19 Antibodies?
1. You had one of the COVID-19 vaccines
2. You had symptoms of COVID-19 in the past but weren’t tested
3. You had close contact with an individual suspected of or confirmed to have COVID-19 and you want to have a quick test done to check your antibody status
4. You have recovered from COVID-19 & want to check your possible immunity
How Can Our COVID-19 Testing Help Your Event?
With the emergence of the new and incredibly contagious COVID-19 Delta strain, it is so important that we safely celebrate what makes our community special. So that we can protect and nurture valued members of our community.
Our team comes free of charge to events and provides our Rapid COVID-19 Antigen testing at a discount to those attending. In addition, we’re using our Rapid COVID-19 Antibody tests to raise awareness around vaccine antibodies!
Where Do We Test At An Event?
Epicentre can test at the entrance of your event, ensuring that your event does not admit anyone that has an active COVID-19 infection. We can also set up a testing stall to provide testing to those not feeling well.
