We offer free and heavily discounted tests as they are subsidized by research organizations that are looking to use this anonymous information to investigate various research questions, like can people test themselves for COVID?
Bookings
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Research
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– At homes in Rondebosch, & Randburg and surrounding areas.
– A Self administered PCR test
– At our Hillcrest, KZN Drive-Thru
– COVID-19 Antigen & confirmatory PCR test
What Are Our Current Special Test Deals?
What are our upcoming special test deals?
Self-Swabbing Drive
– COVID tests
– Saliva or nasal swab
– All drive-through branches
Why do we offer free and discounted tests?
Epicentre has partnered with key research organizations to test the effectiveness of new COVID-19 tests like the PAN BIO COVID-19 Antigen Test in our CATSS study, which has recently finished its first phase. We are also helping research organizations to test if self-testing works in South Africa. So, to encourage people to take part in these studies, these research organizations subsidize these tests which allows us to offer them for free or at heavily discounted prices.
Why can’t people use these subsidized tests for travelling?
A key aspect of these studies is picking up positive results because they want to see if their new test is sensitive enough to detect the virus. So they give us rules for who can test, which focuses the testing on people who could be positive. For example, to take part in our CATSS study, which would normally be R1240, you would need to be a doctor, be referred by a doctor for a COVID-19 test, have symptoms or been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
So, someone whose travelling wouldn’t fit these requirements, so according to these research organizations, they wouldn’t be eligible for subsidized testing.
