The most important questions about free corona rapid tests in Baden-Württemberg

February 17, 2021, 8:42 p.m.

Update: February 17, 2021, 8:43 p.m.

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Stuttgart The country wants to expand the range of free corona swabs. Approval for this could be given in March. An overview of the most important questions and answers.

In the fight against Corona, the green-black state government is now relying on free rapid tests, even for people without symptoms. This is the result of a top-level discussion in the Stuttgart government headquarters under the leadership of the Green Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann. “The targeted and systematic use of rapid tests is an important component in order to get a more precise picture of the mutants and to better protect vulnerable groups,” said the Green politician after the meeting. We explain the current status of the preparations.

How does the state government want to proceed?

The state is initially making four million rapid tests available from the Ministry of Social Affairs’ existing stocks for an easily accessible offer close to home. This is a temporary solution until the self-tests are available. In a second stage, seven million rapid tests of the new generation are to be bought from the country, which private individuals can use without professional guidance.

Who will benefit from the new offer?

“The offer is aimed primarily at people who were previously not entitled to free tests,” says the key points. Caregiving relatives and people who have many contacts in their private or professional environment are expressly mentioned. The 260,000 educators and teachers who will have face-to-face lessons again from Monday have already been taken care of. You can have a doctor or pharmacist test you twice a week with your school’s certificate of eligibility. This program alone is estimated at 50 million euros. A spokesman for the Ministry of Culture pointed out that the Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn promised to assume the costs for quick tests without cause. It is assumed that the federal government will pay from March 1st.

When can the self-tests be expected to be approved?

The responsible Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices is promising approval soon. According to the institute’s spokesman, “on the basis of the application documents available so far, it is assumed that we will be able to issue the first special approvals at the beginning of March”. Up to 30 products force their way onto the market. In contrast to the previous rapid tests, in which the swab must be expertly inserted deep into the nose and throat, a smear in the nose is sufficient for lay hands. Experts consider the new tests to be just as reliable as the previous rapid antigen tests when the virus load is high.

Does Austria serve as a model?

In the neighboring country, schools, hairdressers and shops are open again despite higher infection rates. The self-tests are already permitted there. In the country of eight million people, 1.5 million rapid tests are carried out every week. The pharmacies give anyone interested up to five self-tests per month free of charge.

What are the tasks for the municipalities?

CDU top candidate Susanne Eisenmann, who has been calling for more unreasonable tests for a long time, now sees the opportunity for “possible opening steps” in various social and economic areas. A reliable test structure that is available nationwide is a prerequisite for this. The municipalities are responsible for these rapid test centers.

Böblingen

The Böblingen district did not want to wait for the country’s self-tests. There, all residents can already be tested for the corona virus twice a week free of charge. In order to keep the distances as short as possible, the district office has set up five rapid test centers. “The aim of the rapid tests is to identify infected people without symptoms and thus prevent further infections,” explains District Administrator Roland Bernhard. Tübingen was the pioneer of the free rapid test campaign.

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