There will be no so-called lollipop tests in Munich’s day-care centers. This was decided by the sponsors together with the Department for Education and Sport (RBS). In September, the Free State promised to cover the costs of lollipop tests in daycare centers, but the organization of the tests would be left to the municipalities. The RBS has already informed the mothers and fathers of the children concerned about the decision in a letter to parents.
The reason is that one does not want to burden the staff in the daycare centers and the parents. “With consideration for the well-being of the children, we do not want to stipulate that the day-care staff carry out the tests in the day-care center,” and the staff cannot afford it either. That is why the distribution of authorization certificates will be maintained, with which parents can receive rapid antigen tests for their children in pharmacies free of charge. Neither for the children nor for the employees is inevitably higher protection from the lollipop tests, it says in the letter.
On the other hand, the Robert Koch Institute recommends that day-care children should also be tested “regularly and serially” using the PCR pool method. According to the Epidemiological Bulletin of July 2021, “Lollipop PCR tests are more sensitive than antigen tests when samples are collected more easily. Infections can thus be detected particularly early and transmission to facilities prevented.”
However, the Munich Health Department has so far recorded moderate infection rates among crèche and kindergarten children. In September there were 191 cases, in October even a little less. Recently, there has even been a relaxation in facilities for children of crèche and kindergarten age. In a letter to parents from the RBS day care division, it says: “Kita children who have not started school are currently affected to a lesser extent by the coronavirus compared to the general population and especially school children.” Therefore, cold symptoms did not allow a general conclusion about an infection with the coronavirus. “For children who want to visit their childcare facility despite slight symptoms (e.g. runny nose, slight cough, etc.), in future it will suffice to confirm from their parents that a quick test was carried out at home before going to the daycare center and that the result was negative. ” A medical certificate is not required.
“Lollipop tests are more accurate and safer than quick tests”
Wolfgang Schramm, professor emeritus for internal medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, warns, however, in view of the apparently low number of infections among crèche and kindergarten children: “The number of unreported cases is unclear.” Many infections with the coronavirus were symptom-free in this age group. In order for these cases to be discovered, PCR pool tests are absolutely necessary. The results of the rapid antigen tests are too imprecise.
As early as February, the 77-year-old started a PCR pool test in his grandchildren’s daycare centers with the help of medical friends. The doctor demands that lollipop tests should be made available free of charge, at least for the parents who wish it. Bringing the samples to the laboratory is then of course the responsibility of the parents or the institution, says Schramm.
In fact, with around 1,500 daycare centers in Munich, it would be difficult to organize the logistics of comprehensive PCR pool tests. Daniel Fritsch, spokesman for the Joint Parents’ Council of the municipal nurseries in Munich, complains that the organization of the tests is being passed on to the municipalities: “Just like in the primary schools, it should have been organized across Bavaria.” He is against compulsory testing, but: “Lollipop tests are more accurate and safer than quick tests and are the lowest-threshold offer, especially for the little ones.” The Munich Education and Science Union is also expressly in favor of the use of PCR lollipop tests in day-care centers. “They are better accepted by both parents and children thanks to their comparatively easy handling and also prevent stigmatization of individual children in the event of a positive result,” says board member Andreas Winckhler.