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Corona rapid test: how expensive are they?
Photo: Ute Grabowsky / imago images / photothek
Rapid tests should lead Germany out of lockdown.
And for this they could soon be available in large quantities in drugstores and supermarkets.
"We expect availability for our customers from March 9th at the earliest, provided that the manufacturer's delivery commitments can be met," said Sebastian Bayer, the managing director of the drugstore chain dm in Karlsruhe, responsible for marketing and procurement.
He promised: "Schools and day-care centers should be able to be visited regularly again, so we will offer the tests as cheaply as possible." They are in close contact with the Federal Ministry of Health and other authorities.
Just last week, corona self-tests for use by laypeople were approved for the first time in Germany.
The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) issued special approvals for three products.
So far, there have only been rapid tests to detect a coronavirus infection, which are carried out by trained staff.
The drugstore chain Rossmann is also aiming for March 9th as the sales start, "provided the delivery commitments are kept," as a spokeswoman said.
In order to be able to offer a test to as many customers as possible, the delivery quantity is limited.
Other retailers are also planning to enter the rapid test business - but have not yet given a specific date for the start of sales.
Aldi Süd wants to start selling "soon".
Edeka is also working on the project, but did not provide any information about a possible start of sales.
Lidl and Rewe announced that they are looking into expanding the range accordingly.
No company has yet given any specific information on how expensive the self-tests could be.
They should also be available for sale in pharmacies.
German Medical Association calls for centralized recording of results
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn had initially planned that from March 1, all citizens could be tested free of charge by trained staff with rapid antigen tests - for example in test centers, practices or pharmacies.
However, this should only be discussed at the next federal-state consultations on the pandemic on March 3.
In view of the rapid tests that have now been approved for the general public, the German Medical Association demanded that the results of corona rapid tests be centrally recorded by the Robert Koch Institute at the weekend.
"With the growing importance of rapid antigen tests in Germany, the results of these test procedures should be evaluated in detail," said medical president Klaus Reinhardt to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
The data obtained in this way could provide important insights into the benefits and application scenarios of the rapid tests, said Reinhardt.
It is interesting, for example, how often the tests are used, where capacities need to be expanded and how high the positive rates are in the individual areas of application.
"This is exactly the information we need in order to gradually return to a normal life," said the Medical President.
It is important to clear up the dark field of unregistered infections and to provide a comprehensive picture of the situation of the pandemic in Germany.
So far, only the results of laboratory-based PCR tests have been reported to the RKI in Germany.
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apr / dpa / AFP