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SINGAPORE – Approximately 200 attendees to the Ministry of Communications and Information Insights Conference took a rapid test for Covid-19 before heading to the grand ballroom at the Marina Bay Sands Convention and Exhibition Center on Monday (Nov 16).
Nobody tested positive.
The pre-event smear used rapid antigen tests, which are less sensitive than the more commonly used polymerase chain reaction tests, but provide results more quickly.
Participants began arriving at 7.45am prior to the conference start time at 9am.
The swabbing process was simple: Participants first queued up four swabbing zones that had three stations each. They received a confirmation text message from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and a set of labels for their tests.
At the station, a cotton swab of approximately 2.5 cm was inserted into each nostril for approximately five to 10 seconds.
The participants then went to a waiting area, also separated into four zones, where they sat one meter apart while waiting for a text message with the test result.
These zones then corresponded to where they sat in the ballroom for the conference.
Participants had to present the SMS with the negative test result before they were allowed to enter the dance hall.
Dr. Sinuhe Arroyo, founder and CEO of the artificial intelligence company Taiger, said that the entire swabbing process “was no problem.”
It was his first Covid-19 swab test and he described the entire process as well organized.
“It gave me the peace of mind of being safe when entering such an event. It gives me hope that we will see more of this controlled physical contact, which is very important for companies,” he added.
Johann Annuar, CEO of the nonprofit Engineering Good, found the test procedure comfortable enough, although a sinus problem caused him to tear for five to 10 minutes.
It was also the first time they had swabbed him.
“The whole process was very professional, and having it done in 15 to 20 minutes is incredible,” he said.
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