The Germans rushed to the supermarkets of the Aldi chain on Saturday to buy the first commercially-sold antigenic tests against Covid-19, the stocks of which ran out in a few hours.
Read also: France cleans up antigen tests
Rival chain Lidl, for its part, saw its website saturated after selling home test kits online.
“
We want to assure everyone who has left empty-handed that new stocks are expected in the next few days,
” an Aldi spokesperson told Bild newspaper.
One pack of five tests per person
The German government is counting on the massive practice of antigenic tests to carry out its strategy of gradually unlocking the anti-Covid device, in the face of growing public discontent, while the pace of vaccinations remains slow.
From Monday, all Germans will be entitled to one free antigen test per week, carried out by professionals in pharmacists or approved test centers.
Several manufacturers have also received the green light for home testing kits.
The aim is to give the population more freedom after months of restrictions, but experts stress that rapid tests are less reliable than PCR tests and that protective measures must be maintained even if the test is negative.
The Aldi chain limits the sale to a package of five tests per person, at a cost of 24.99 euros.
The test is performed by nasal swab and the result appears in 15 minutes.
Lidl also offers packages of five tests for 21.99 euros.
The tests will also go on sale at major pharmacies and other establishments across the country in the coming days.
Read also: Vaccine against Covid-19: where is France compared to its neighbors?
The Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, criticized for the slowness of the vaccination campaign, promised that there would be antigenic tests in quantity "
more than sufficient
" for all, including 50 million free tests per month.
But some have questioned whether local authorities are ready to meet the huge demand.
Manuela Schwesig, Social Democratic Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (north), said supermarkets were better prepared than the federal government.
“
I don't understand why rapid tests are already sold by discount chains, but still have to be ordered for nurseries and schools,
” she said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday evening agreed to a gradual unlocking of the anti-Covid system, yielding to growing discontent in public opinion and within her own government seven months before the legislative elections, but the figures do not improve and are even up on some days.
On Saturday, the country recorded 9,557 new cases of coronavirus and 300 deaths, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
See also
- "We want to live normally": in Moselle, cross-border workers are worried about the tightening of measures
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