Popular Prague beach hangout now open for coronavirus testing

In an effort to make testing for the coronavirus accessible to a wider circle of people, another collection point was established in Prague from yesterday.

Lab technicians are now taking samples in a tent located in the car park of Žluté lázně, a popular riverside “beach” recreation area in Prague’s Podolí district.

“We will perform a nasopharyngeal swab for subsequent direct detection of the virus by PCR. You can also come to see if you have encountered coronavirus in the past and developed antibodies against it,” says Dr. Zuzana Semeráková, head of clinical microbiology at Prague-based diagnostic lab Spadia which is operating the testing point.

The result of the quick orientation Rapid Test can be determined on the spot in 15-20 minutes; the PCR result for self-payers will be sent by the laboratory to the given email address the next day.

Patients who are sent for an exam at the request of their general practitioner or hygienist will have their results sent via ÚZIS or directly to their prescribing doctor.

The sampling tent will be in operation workdays from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm, with the exception of Wednesdays, when testing will take place from 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm.

The laboratory says it is prepared for increased interest in testing. “Even if we can’t estimate how many people will be on-site at a given time, we will try to oversee the smooth operation of the site,” says Dr. Semeráková.

The lab expects to take samples throughout May though if there is interest testing may continue into June as well.

The public can now be tested at the Central Military Hospital in Střešovice or the collection point at the Prosek Polyclinic in Prague 9 in addition to the drive-through collection point at the Exhibition Center.