The Netherlands eagerly orders self-tests; more than the ministry expected | Inland

By the end of August, 8 million households must have received a letter with a code with which they can order two free self-tests.

It should make testing accessible and keep an eye on the import of infections from abroad after the summer holidays and prevent a possible revival of the virus. The self-tests are mainly intended for those who have no complaints.

30 million

In addition to households, free self-tests are also offered to travelers, estimated to be 1.5 million until the end of September. 2 million self-tests have been donated to the Food Bank and the Poverty Fund. Students can order tests free of charge and secondary school students have also been given extra self-tests. In total, more than 30 million self-tests have already been distributed in education.

The positive test results of the tests that people take themselves do not end up in the corona figures of the RIVM, but partly indirectly. Of all positive test results at the GGD, in which corona is diagnosed, in 7 percent of the cases it concerns confirmation of a positive self-test. According to behavioral research by the RIVM, 1 percent of the results of self-tests are positive. Of those who diagnosed corona at home, 91 percent still went to the GGD for confirmation, 91 percent warned their contacts. Anyone who has tested positive at the GGD usually (71 percent) stays at home and in 97 percent of the cases no longer receives visitors at home.

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