{"id":2664,"date":"2021-03-30T10:38:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T09:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/noticia\/covid-19-tests-a-guide-to-who-how-where-and-why\/"},"modified":"2021-03-30T10:38:42","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T09:38:42","slug":"covid-19-tests-a-guide-to-who-how-where-and-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/noticia\/covid-19-tests-a-guide-to-who-how-where-and-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid-19 tests: a guide to who, how, where and why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who should take the test?<\/strong><\/p>\n

People suspected of having COVID-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic.
\nAnd people who are not necessarily suspected of having COVID-19, but who are tested regularly as a preventative measure.
\nStandard 019\/2020 updated the National Testing Strategy for COVID-19 and now recommends screening contacts classified as high risk as well as low risk.
\nThe standard also recommends mass and periodic testing of employees in environments with a higher risk of transmission in the workplace. <\/p>\n

How is the test done?
\nHow can I book a test? <\/strong><\/p>\n

There are 2 types of tests approved in Portugal for the diagnosis of COVID-19:<\/p>\n

– RT-PCR test<\/p>\n

– rapid antigen test<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Both tests are carried out using a swab with which a nasopharyngeal sample is taken.
\nOnce the sample has been taken, in the case of the RT-PCR test, it is sent to the laboratory for analysis and the results are obtained within 24 to 72 hours.
\nIn the case of the rapid antigen test, the sample is analyzed at the point of collection and the result is obtained in 15 to 20 minutes, or directly to your email or telephone, usually within 2 to 3 hours.
\nThere are also some cases in which the rapid antigen test is analyzed in a laboratory, simply to speed up the process and the speed of testing.
\nIn these cases, you can expect to receive the result between 12 and 24 hours. <\/p>\n

Anyone can choose to be tested for COVID-19 at any time, without a doctor’s prescription, at a private healthcare facility.
\nTo do so, you can make an appointment with SEPRI by calling 932 467 755. <\/p>\n

If you want to opt for the test through the National Health Service, you need a test requisition.
\nAfter receiving the COVID-19 test requisition, the patient or their representative must: <\/p>\n

– Contact the laboratory where you want the COVID-19 test by phone<\/p>\n

– Schedule the COVID-19 test<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Where to take the test?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can get tested through the National Health Service or by private means.
\nBy testing with SEPRI, you have 3 places to get tested for COVID-19: <\/p>\n

– At our Clinic, located at Rua Dr. Loureiro Amorim, n\u00ba7 (opposite the minipre\u00e7o and near Col\u00e9gio D. Diogo de Sousa)<\/p>\n

– In our Drive Thru, without having to get out of the car (in the Cepsa parking lot, after the station tunnel, on the Braga-Porto bypass)<\/p>\n

– At home, through home testing<\/p>\n

Companies have also started to implement Periodic Testing Programs in which you can be tested at your workplace.
\nAsk your employer about the current testing program. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why test?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Testing for Covid-19 is one of the most important means of preventing and fighting the pandemic.
\nThrough mass and periodic testing of the population, positive cases can be detected quickly and isolated before they trigger chains of transmission. <\/p>\n

That’s why, combined with the measures of wearing a mask, social distancing and disinfecting hands and surfaces, testing makes it possible to make places of study, work and socializing safer.
\nMichael Mina, a Harvard professor, defends the idea of “immunity induced by testing” and, in one of his articles published on the subject, the epidemiologist argues that screening the population is a powerful public health tool.
\nBernardo Mateiro Gomes, a public health doctor, also says that “a local, assertive and rapid response” is only possible with the generalization of rapid tests. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who should take the test?
\nHow is the test done?
\nHow can I book a test?
\nWhere to get tested?
\nWhy test? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2883,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sepri.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}