New Dublin Antigen Testing Centre Offers Drive-Thru Screening

A new antigen testing centre has been opened near Dublin Airport.

The centre, V1medical, was founded by pilots with medical backgrounds in Ireland, provides drive-through testing facilities and is located at Furry Park in Santry.

Rapid tests cost €95, and it can also send mobile testing teams to homes, workplaces or social gatherings such as weddings.

Co-Founder and pilot Fiona O’Flaherty said: “Our busiest day booked to date is Christmas Eve. I think a lot of people want to use this type of test just for reassurance… it’s like a seat belt; you can’t guarantee you won’t have an accident or be injured, but the chances are so much lower.”

The company uses Roche Rapid Antigen Tests that involve swabs taken while you sit in the car. Unlike PCR tests, which can take hours or even days to process, results are provided by email in 30 minutes or less.

Antigen and PCR are both swab tests diagnosing active infections. Where PCR tests detect the virus’s genetic material, however, antigen tests detect proteins from it.

V1medical was founded by two Irish pilots with medical backgrounds.