MidCentral DHB sets up pop-up RATs testing

The site will be set up as a drive-through.

From today, Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will be available for symptomatic people and household contacts from the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North in response to a rapid increase in demand for Covid-19 testing.

The site will be set up as a drive-through for people to be quickly triaged and provided with the tests they need, with further dates and times to be confirmed.

MidCentral DHB Acting Covid-19 senior responsible officer Dr Kelvin Billinghurst says that with over 700 cases now in the MidCentral rohe, community testing sites have seen a significant increase in demand across the rohe, particularly in Palmerston North and Horowhenua.

"Our central testing site in Palmerston North, which delivers both RATs and PCR testing, has seen extraordinary demand which has caused some issues with traffic flow and impacted local businesses. We thank the community for their patience while we worked to set up a second testing site.

"RATs will be available at the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North from 11am to 4pm on Tuesday, and 8.30am to 4pm on Wednesday, alongside PCR tests at our 575 Main St site from 8.30am to 4pm."

Dr Billinghurst says the introduction of RATs has allowed for more PCR testing capacity and shorter laboratory processing times.

"There are some people in particular who we really would like to see present for a PCR test.

This includes people who have had two negative RATs tests over two days and their symptoms are getting worse; people who are symptomatic or household contacts who have conditions that make them immunocompromised, for example cancer, pregnancy and renal dialysis; and people who have been asked to get a test by Public Health or the Medical Officer of Health.

Covid-19 tests are available from iwi and Māori health providers, pharmacies (for asymptomatic people), and general practices across the region.

For more information about where to get tested, go to HealthPoint https://bit.ly/MDHBTest or call the Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

If you are experiencing severe symptoms of Covid-19 and are very unwell, please seek medical attention immediately whether you have received a positive test result or not.