Commercial Covid test sites to start offering rapid STI testing

With demand for coronavirus testing expected to decline as more and more people are vaccinated, commercial test sites are looking for other ways to stay relevant and in business. Multiple test companies are looking into offering rapid tests for sexually transmitted infections, BNR reports after speaking to these companies.

Spoedtest.nl expects to start providing STI tests within the next month. "The process looks like this: people can go to our website to order a test. It is sent the same day and received the next day. They can take the test themselves at home and then send it to the laboratory. After arriving at the lab, there is a good chance that you will get the results the same day. It's anonymous, fast and you pay for it yourself. You can also choose us without any symptoms," a spokesperson said to the broadcaster.

Snelkliniek plans to offer STI tests in the coming months. Coronalab.eu already offers STI tests on a small scale, and plans to expand this significantly. "Not only with STI tests, but also with many more preventive and diagnostic tests. The tests are taken at home, sent to the lab and analyzed," co-founder Patrick de Boer said to BNR. Algeria Health is also looking at the possibilities of offering STI tests, but has no concrete plans yet. Coronatestspot and Speedcovidtest said they are "reorienting" and may offer other types of tests in the future.

"This trend has been around for some time, but the coronavirus crisis has certainly fueled preventive testing," Maarten Cuppen of U-Diagnostics said. The company offers a range of tests, including STI tests. According to Cuppen, it is important that test providers are "supervised by medical professionals and the diagnostics take place in accredited laboratories."

Information and support organization SOA Aids Nederland called this an interesting idea, but is worried about inadequate information and aftercare. The organization wonders how commercial test providers will know which test to send to the customer. "Normally, the GP determines what is the right test. That is more difficult for the individual to determine," GP Emmy Roskam, who is affiliated with the organization, said to the broadcaster.