Berlin For a long time, they were considered a central element in the fight against the corona pandemic: the free citizen tests. But because the federal government wanted more people to vaccinate and did not want to overstretch the federal budget, it provided the offer with an expiration date.
Sunday is now over, from Monday citizens will have to pay for the tests themselves. Exceptions apply to people who cannot be vaccinated, for example for medical reasons or because they are pregnant, and for adolescents for whom a vaccination recommendation has only been available since August.
Soon after the start of the free test offer in March of this year, tens of thousands of test stations were set up all over Germany – some in cosmetic studios, hookah bars or in shops that were closed due to the pandemic. The demand was great, by the beginning of August the federal government had already spent more than three billion euros on the tests.
After cases of accounting fraud hit the headlines, the federal government tightened the reins from July. Since then, operators of test centers have no longer been able to charge twelve euros for taking the smear, but only eight euros. The material costs, which had previously been reimbursed with up to six euros, were limited to a flat rate of 4.50 euros. This was still good business for many providers because they were able to buy the test kits much cheaper in some cases.
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In view of the vaccination progress and the long stagnating number of cases, the statutory health insurance associations responsible for billing have been reporting falling test numbers for a long time. The supply is also falling accordingly. In Cologne, for example, there were recently 639 active test centers. Their capacity was estimated at around 70,100 tests per day and was only around a fifth to a quarter of the capacity.
The provider 21Dx GmbH, which operates more than 20 test stations as well as mobile test tracks and vaccination centers in Germany, is not initially planning to reduce the number of test stations. But of course you have to keep an eye on profitability in the long term, says a spokesman.
There was already a sharp drop in test demand at the company in July, but it rose again in the fall. For a rapid antigen test, the company will initially charge 19.90 euros from Monday.
The German Red Cross (DRK) announced on request that its state associations will significantly reduce their test offer, in Berlin and Bremen it will be completely discontinued, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania limited to a few mobile teams.
Some district associations that continue to operate test centers want to wait a week or two to see to what extent paid tests are still being used by the population. The price range for rapid antigen tests in adults will be between twelve and 20 euros at the Red Cross.
In Hamburg, the number of test sites commissioned by the health service had fallen from 404 in mid-June to 271 in mid-August. As of Monday, the Hanseatic city will no longer commission commercial providers. Although they are still allowed to carry out tests that are subject to a fee, they are no longer able to issue certificates of the result.
Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has recovered from Covid disease and wants to visit a restaurant or cultural event under the 3G rule will only receive the required test certificate from medical providers such as doctors or laboratories in future. The Hamburg social authority therefore expects a “demand-oriented adjustment of the market”, many commercial providers have already announced that they will discontinue their offer.
If the Federal Association of German Pharmacists’ Associations (ABDA) has its way, then the Hamburger Weg should “definitely be a model for the whole of Germany”. The pharmacists emphasize – not entirely altruistic, of course – that from Monday onwards a sufficient range of tests must be maintained for everyone who cannot be vaccinated.
The operation of a test site is complex because of the space and personnel costs. Only if enough tests were requested in an institution could the offer be made available at acceptable costs. Otherwise test sites would have to close or demand moon prices from the citizens in order to get their money’s worth. That is why it makes sense to limit the offer to health facilities such as doctors or pharmacies.
“We’re running into a shadow pandemic.”
(Photo: imago images / Jürgen Heinrich)
In early summer around 6,000 pharmacies across Germany offered antigen tests, currently there are still around 4,400. “I am optimistic that we will be able to maintain a comprehensive range of tests from pharmacies for the coming months – but only if the framework conditions are right,” says ABDA President Regina Overwiening.
But there are also voices from politics who generally consider the end of the free citizen tests to be wrong: The end comes too soon, says Green health expert Janosch Dahmen. “Without free tests, we will get fewer test results and more infections will go undetected,” he warns. “We’re running into a shadow pandemic.”
“Proven means to persuade undecided people to vaccinate”
He advised the federal government to follow Austria’s U-turn. The neighboring country has just extended the free tests to the end of March 2022. “Instead of canceling the free test, we should combine the vaccination campaign and tests,” says Dahmen. He suggests that anyone who accepts vaccination advice should receive a free test in return.
Ulf Dittmer, virologist at the Essen University Hospital, sees the end of the free citizen test as “a tried and tested means of getting those who are undecided to get vaccinated”. Half of those who have not been vaccinated are not clearly opposed to the vaccination, but could still be brought to vaccination through this measure.
“It is very important for the health system that we achieve herd immunity through as much vaccination as possible and less infection,” said Dittmer to the Handelsblatt. Because with the delta variant of the virus, which also makes younger people sick, a particularly large number of severe disease courses with inpatient hospital admissions can be observed.
More: The corona virus has dominated everyday life in Germany since January 2020 – the chronicle