Corona current
Where can I get a quick test – and when?
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Rapid tests are already helping to fight the corona virus, said the Minister of Health. But when will they be made available to the general public – and where exactly can we be tested?
Health Minister Jens Spahn recently answered questions from citizens about the corona pandemic in the TV format "Now asks Germany". Among other things, he talks about the speed of vaccination, the vaccine from Astrazeneca, holidays over Easter – and where we can get free rapid tests from when.
Rapid tests are already helping
In an interview with "RTL", Spahn made it clear that the rapid tests would be the next decisive step in the fight against COVID-19. He also explains that there weren't enough tests available in the fall of 2020. Therefore, the focus would have been particularly on care facilities, clinics and the health care system. There the tests were first needed and used.
Now the happy turning point: it was noticed that the manufacturers were producing a sufficient number of reliable tests. "Now we can see in January and also in the first days of February that the offer is so large that we can really take the next step," emphasized the Minister of Health.
Rapid tests available from March 1st
From the first of March, the free rapid tests will then be made available to all citizens. Everyone would then have the opportunity to be tested for the virus in test centers or pharmacies. The test results should give us more security in everyday life, explains Jens Spahn. Nevertheless, he emphasizes: Just because you have been tested negative does not mean that you can do what you want.
The federal government should assume the costs
Jens Spahn advocates that the tests will be free of charge for each individual: "My suggestion is that the federal government should cover the costs for these tests where the local health department also operates test centers." The respective structures on site, such as doctors' networks, pharmacies or the Red Cross in the districts, should make it possible for everyone who would like to be tested to have the opportunity to do so.
The next step is self-tests
After free quick tests, self-tests for at home should be "the next step", says Spahn. These do not necessarily have to be carried out by medical specialists and can be offered in different variants: From gargling to swabbing in the oral cavity, a lot will be possible: "When they are there, we naturally want to make them available quickly," assures the Minister of Health .
Sources used: rtl.de