She had to put off twenty customers that day, says pharmacist Nuray Böck. They all wanted rapid corona tests – but unfortunately Böck couldn’t sell them any. The employee says the stocks at the Hans Mielich Pharmacy in Untergiesing have been sold out. Supplies will not be delivered until the next day.
Many pharmacists in Munich are feeling the same way as Böck: The demand for rapid corona tests is suddenly very high again and they are busy keeping up with the orders. The reason is the current wave of colds. “It started right after the Oktoberfest,” says Böck. More and more customers with typical cold symptoms were standing in front of her counter and wanted medication for coughs and colds – and a few rapid corona tests. She notices that people are becoming more aware of the issue of infection again, and many are coming with masks.
The pharmacy did order new tests in advance – after all, they already knew that the cold season would start again after Oktoberfest. However, it is difficult to estimate the right amount, says Böck.
The tests are still in stock at the Humboldt Pharmacy in Au. But the owner Peter Schmitt always has to keep an overview – after all, he alone can handle 100 tests in one day. He expected that, says Schmitt. Before the Oktoberfest he ordered 500 tests and they were gone very quickly. Shortly before Oktoberfest, he says, he noticed greater interest in the rapid tests. But in the past ten days, demand has increased significantly again.
No wonder, many people come to his pharmacy with a cough and a runny nose, but without a mask, reports Schmitt. He and his employees also recently fell ill with Covid-19.
The demand for rapid corona tests will continue to increase, estimates Peter Sandmann, Munich spokesman for the Bavarian Pharmacists Association. He is currently observing an increase in purchasing prices. Compared to the summer, when no one thought about Corona, the price has “at least doubled,” said the pharmacist. His delivery person is reliable and there are no bottlenecks with corona tests, says Sandmann. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in pharmacies, you can currently try your luck in various shops and drugstores. Some have reordered corona tests for the flu season; with some chains, such as dm, you can also order the tests online for private use.
However, Sandmann points out that there are still shortages of other medications, such as antibiotic juices for children. Just recently he had to send a sick person away at night because he simply didn’t have any antibiotics for him as an adult.
And what about expired tests? The pharmacists unanimously point out that they cannot give any recommendations for expired tests. Infectiologist Christoph Spinner from the Rechts der Isar Clinic also warns against using expired tests. These are certified medical products for which the manufacturer only guarantees that they will work until the specified date. In contrast, according to Spinner, the current tests that are newly purchased can detect the pathogen just as reliably as before – despite numerous new variants.
Reliable Corona numbers for Munich are hardly possible
The most current picture of the Corona situation in the city can be found in the city’s wastewater. Scientists from various virological institutes are looking for the coronavirus there. According to the so-called wastewater monitoring Bay-Voc, the current trend is increasing, the trend line is almost as high as last fall. This is not reflected in the official reporting figures compiled by the Robert Koch Institute. According to the RKI, a total of 569 positive corona cases were reported in the city last week, an increase of 127 cases. However, this number is very small. In the same week a year ago there were 19,910 positive cases.
People are testing themselves more again – but no one can say how many of the positive test results end up in the statistics. Because only results from PCR tests that are mainly carried out in doctors’ offices end up there. When asked, the Becker & Colleagues laboratory, which is one of the largest in the city, confirmed “a slight increase in demand for PCR tests for Sars-CoV-2”. But reliable information about what the Corona situation is in the city can hardly be given anymore. RKI boss Lars Schaade recently pointed out that the incidence will no longer be relevant as a measurement for the course of the pandemic. This fall, personal risk assessment and consideration will be more important again.