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Corona test station in Munich: Since Monday, the citizen tests have only been free in exceptional cases
Photo: Ralph Peters / imago images / Ralph Peters
Corona rapid tests have helped to monitor pandemic events better.
Citizens in Germany could have themselves tested free of charge for months.
This has already cost the federal government more than five billion euros.
As figures from the Federal Social Security Office show, the health fund had billed over 5.2 billion euros by mid-September.
The federal government paid 1.4 billion euros for antigen tests alone.
On Monday, the government abolished the free citizen tests out of "fairness" to taxpayers.
First the "Rheinische Post" reported on the numbers.
The federal government spent 1.1 billion euros on laboratory diagnostic services.
Other services such as taking smears cost 2.4 billion euros.
In addition, until mid-September the federal government paid around 92 million euros for tests in integration assistance facilities and in shelters for the homeless.
Since Monday, the citizen tests are no longer free.
Politicians want to increase the pressure on unvaccinated people to get vaccinated.
Exceptions apply to all groups who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and who can prove this, or for whom a vaccine is not yet available.
More than 65 percent fully vaccinated
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 65.3 percent of the population are now fully vaccinated against the corona virus.
The rate among adults is 75.9 percent, according to RKI data.
According to this, 68.6 percent of all citizens and 79.4 percent of adults are vaccinated against the virus at least once.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, more than 54 million citizens are fully vaccinated.
Among the children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, 43.3 percent have now received at least one first injection, 37.2 percent are fully vaccinated.
The RKI assumes, however, that probably more people among adults are vaccinated than the data suggest.
In a report at the beginning of October, for example, it was said that the rate for people who were once and completely vaccinated from the age of 18 could be up to 5 percentage points higher.
asc / AFP / dpa