Germany Approves The Sale Of Covid Tests In Supermarkets

Germany Approves The Sale Of Covid Tests In Supermarkets.

FROM March 3, rapid antigen tests will be available to the public in pharmacies, supermarkets and other large commercial areas. The initiative was supported by approval from the German Federal Institute for Medicines and Health Products, BfArM.

Although the launch had to be postponed (it was planned for today) the 3 companies authorised to carry out the tests are already in full distribution. In Spain, pharmacies have antigen tests but they differ from those that the German government has authorised for sale since Spanish tests involve the extraction of blood.

In addition, the Spanish tests detect if the virus has already been passed on, since they are based on the detection of antibodies. However, in Germany the 3 tests have a similar method: a nasal sample is collected using a cotton swab that will be evaluated for a period of 15-20 minutes. The test is very similar to the well-known pregnancy tests and it is a superficial test because the cotton swab is inserted only in the lower part of the nose.

The German government has only approved 3 out of 50 products presented to them. This is due to the number of controls that determine the security and quality of these types of tests. The effectiveness and accuracy achieved from the approved tests is around 80 per cent.

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