Self-administered tests provide results within 15 minutes.

Will soon be made available to the public.

With the Cayman Islands Government indicating that rapid antigen (lateral flow) tests will be approved as part of its strategy for adapting and responding to living with COVID-19 in the community, Health City Cayman Islands has become the first private healthcare facility on island to acquire these tests.

Although PCR tests remain the highest standard for accuracy and confidence, the Chief Medical Officer has stated that lateral flow tests can successfully assist in quickly identifying potential positives in the community and safely resume many activities that are impacted by the current regulations the government has in place to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the Cayman Islands.

“As was the case in April 2020 when Health City was strategically positioned to help organise the delivery of a shipment of 30,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, we are proud to be the first private facility to have these test kits and will soon be able to offer these at an affordable price to the people of the Cayman Islands to help with the early detection of COVID-19 and, in turn, helping keep the community safe,” said Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil, Clinical Director at Health City Cayman Islands.

“Once the government indicated that lateral flow tests will be part of their COVID-19 management strategy, it was important for us to be in a position to initially have these available to regularly test our employees and to also make them available to the public. It is important for our patients and the public to know that Health City is prioritising the wellbeing of those we serve,” Dr. Binoy added.

Rapid lateral flow tests help to find cases in people who may have no symptoms but are still infectious and can pass on the virus to others. The test usually involves taking a sample from your throat and nose, or from your nose only, using a swab. It is easy to use, very affordable and accurately delivers results within 15 minutes using a device similar to a pregnancy test.

Being able to provide these rapid tests is part of a toolkit to deal with COVID-19 in the community, noted Chief Business Officer at Health City, Shomari Scott.

“This is another tool that we are able to deploy, as we better adjust to living with COVID-19. These tests help with detecting positives and ruling out negatives. The more knowledge we have about the extent of any spread in our community, the better we are able to keep each other safe,” said Mr Scott.

“Thankfully, the Cayman Islands did not have to suffer the pain of the loss of life due to the virus. Tools like the rapid lateral flow tests help to minimise risk while moving forward, especially with the anticipated re-opening of the country’s borders in the weeks and months ahead,” he added.

Health City’s lateral flow tests will be available once the government introduces its regulations regarding the use and administering of these tests, which is expected in the near future. Further details, including cost, will be announced subsequently.