People wait in line to receive tests at a COVID-19 testing station in Seoul on Feb. 18, 2022, when the country reported 109,831 cases. It is the first time the number surpassed 100,000 in the country. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — With a surging number of COVID-19 patients infected with the omicron variant, people are seeking loopholes to get polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests as mistrust of self-test kits rises.
Since February, only people over 60 years of age and those who have entered into physical contact with a COVID-19 patient are eligible for an immediate PCR test at local diagnosis centers.
Others must first test positive using a self-test kit before getting a PCR test.
A 50-year-old citizen surnamed Park recently found out that one of his colleagues he had accompanied in the previous week tested positive for coronavirus.
Park didn’t qualify as a close contact, but out of concern, he decided to get a PCR test.
He asked his infected colleague to tell the local diagnosis center that he was a close contact with Park.
Park believed that self-test kits were inaccurate, and he didn’t want to wait one or two hours in line at a local public health center to take the rapid antigen test.
Park soon received a text message that he had been identified as a close contact with an infected person, and succeeded in receiving a free PCR test.
On online communities, a number of posts share ‘tips’ on how to get a free PCR test at a local public health center.
Some ask about hospitals that charge less for a PCR test. Normally, it costs between 80,000 to 100,000 won (US$66-82) for a person to get a test at a medical institution.
“It is quite expensive,” said a 49-year-old homemaker surnamed Lee. “I wish the government would come up with a better solution.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
