Criticism of the free Corona rapid tests: “We are running into a shadow pandemic!”

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Criticism of the free Corona rapid tests: “We are running into a shadow pandemic!”

So far, rapid tests have been free of charge, but from Monday they will have to be paid for – with a few exceptions.

© Soeren Stache / DPA

Corona rapid tests must be paid for from Monday. This is to increase the pressure on unvaccinated people. Critics, however, fear that this will lead to an increase in infections.

As of Monday, there will be no more free citizen tests – with a few exceptions. Politicians want to increase the pressure on unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. But now the Marburger Bund doctors’ union has spoken out and warns of further infections. “Chargeable corona tests mean that fewer people with symptoms will be tested in the future,” said the union chairman, Susanne Johna, the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND) on Sunday. “This is a gateway for further transmission of the virus.”

The Greens health expert Janosch Dahmen also criticizes the end of the free corona rapid tests. Instead, he suggests a link to the vaccination campaign. “Anyone who accepts vaccination advice should get a free test in return,” said the member of the Bundestag of the German press agency. The end of the free “citizen tests” comes too early. “Without free tests, we will get fewer test results and more infections will go undetected,” warned Dahmen. “We’re running into a shadow pandemic.” He spoke out in favor of following the U-turn in Austria and extending the free test again.

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Spahn argues with fairness

Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), however, defended the measure. “Abolishing free citizen tests requires fairness in front of the taxpayer,” said the CDU politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group on Sunday. Everyone for whom it is recommended and who wants to have been vaccinated by now. People who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and can prove this, or for whom a vaccine is not yet available, can continue to be tested free of charge from Monday.

Tests in nursing homes, hospitals, schools or at work will continue to be free of charge, the minister said. “That is important to get through autumn and winter well.” Anyone and everyone can continue to be vaccinated for free to protect themselves and others, added Spahn.

The German Foundation for Patient Protection is now also calling for special regulations for old people’s and nursing homes. The federal and state governments would have to offer visitors free test options, said Eugen Brysch, the board member of the German press agency. Because many of the around 12,000 inpatient facilities nationwide required an up-to-date and certified negative rapid test even from fully vaccinated visitors.

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Switzerland
Last winter, the Swiss were among the few in the world who even welcomed winter sports guests from abroad. “The Swiss tourism industry knows how a safe winter season works,” says André Aschwanden from the Switzerland Tourism marketing initiative. There were no hotspots with infections. Masks were compulsory in the lifts. At the stations, you had to keep your distance.
There were a good quarter fewer hotel guests in winter than in the previous year, when the season had to be terminated prematurely due to the pandemic. But the holiday apartments were booked three percent more than in the previous year. For the Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen ski area in the Jungfrau region, thanks to a new lift, it was even “one of the best winter seasons in recent years” after the revenue from traffic.
Evidence of vaccinations, past corona illnesses or negative tests (3G rules) will be required indoors, including après-ski. Grindelwald may want to set up a test center at the valley station. Zermatt is “cautiously optimistic” about the season. The KOF economic research center in Zurich was very optimistic in May: “The number of European guests should be at the pre-pandemic level,” it said.

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“Chaos must not repeat itself”

If many of the 20,000 or so test centers in Germany shut down, recognized negative evidence would be difficult to come by, especially in rural areas, said Brysch. “Sometimes twenty kilometers to get there are unreasonable for relatives,” he added. “The chaos from last autumn must not be repeated.” At that time, visitors were prohibited from entering retirement and nursing homes because they could not show the result of a rapid test.

The facilities would have to be obliged by ordinance to offer rapid tests on site, demanded Brysch. The costs should be reimbursed to them promptly by the health insurance companies or the legislature. It must be ensured that the around 900,000 nursing home residents nationwide can be visited unhindered.


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Improve vaccination rate

SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach expects that the number of vaccinations will increase due to the end of the free citizen tests: “Chargeable tests will mean that a lot of people still get vaccinated because they want to avoid regular testing,” Lauterbach told the newspapers the Funke media group.

The chairman of the Marburger Bund, Johna, criticized RND, however, that it is not at all clear how many people have not yet been vaccinated. The Robert Koch Institute reported on Thursday that based on surveys on willingness to vaccinate and registration data, a vaccination rate of 80 percent of doubly vaccinated adults and of up to 84 percent of those who were vaccinated at least once could be assumed. That would be five percentage points more than is recorded in the digital vaccination rate monitoring.

tpo with agency

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