It’s one of the mantras of this pandemic: “Test, test, test.” Epidemiologists, task force members, federal councilors – they all regularly emphasize the importance of extensive testing in the fight against Covid.
More than 70,000 nasal and throat swabs are currently performed in Switzerland every day – more than ever since the beginning of the pandemic and more than enough that providers and laboratories are reaching their capacity limits.
Results partially delayed
In several cantons, results sometimes arrive late, and the 24-hour deadline can no longer be met everywhere. Result: the virus has more time to spread. In several cases the test system came to a complete standstill.
The test center in Kreuzlingen in Thurgau, for example, informs visitors to the website that it is temporarily unable to offer PCR tests. The reason is “a Switzerland-wide overload of the laboratories”. There are also problems with student tests in series. A school in the city of Zurich recently informed parents by email that the pool tests would be canceled for a week. Another reason: the laboratories are at their limit.
Soothe laboratories
How worrisome is the situation? Most of the cantons refer – as so often in this crisis – to the federal government. This plays the ball back. Simone Buchmann, spokeswoman for the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH): “We ask you to contact the cantons for information on specific cantonal capacities.” So far, so unclear.
The FOPH admits that high numbers of cases place a heavy burden on the laboratories. In principle, however, the capacities are sufficient. The laboratories themselves also appease that they have the situation under control.
Risks remain
The laboratories of the Risch group analyze more than ten thousand corona samples every day. Head of Department Lorenz Risch says: “We can process the currently very high number of samples with the usual throughput times.” But he also sees risks, such as delivery bottlenecks for test materials or staff failures.
The situation could worsen in the next few weeks. The highly contagious Omikron variant is likely to cause a sharp rise in the number of cases.
Does the test volume have to be increased?
There are also new decisions by the Federal Council. With 2G +, vaccinated and convalescent people must again show a negative test from Monday, depending on the situation. In addition, the government has reduced the duration of the validity of the tests and made some of them free again.
The Bern-based company Viselio, which operates test centers at Bern train station and Zurich Airport, expects a “massive increase in test volume”. Managing Director Niklas Zeller: “I think that tripling the number of rapid antigen tests performed is not unrealistic.”
The good news: both laboratories and test centers are able to expand their capacities further if necessary.