Berlin In view of the spreading Omikron variant, companies as well as patient and consumer advocates warn of the scarce availability of reliable rapid tests.
There were “shortages and deficiencies”, said the board of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch, the Handelsblatt. “With availability and reliability, there is no security for the consumer.”
That is fatal in the towering omicron wave. People should be able to rely on the quality of the rapid tests being correct. There are currently around 600 rapid tests on the market, not even half of which have been tested by the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI).
“The majority are either not tested or not reliable.” It is therefore long overdue that rapid tests are included in the highest classification of medical devices. “Manufacturer information is not enough.”
The North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center also warns of a deficiency. “The fact that corona tests for personal use are currently not in stock in many places or that they sometimes cost a multiple of the usual prices is particularly annoying for consumers right now,” said health expert Arne Weinberg to the Handelsblatt.
“The upcoming holidays with family visits, the recommendation of politics and science to use tests and the simultaneous spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant ensure an unbalanced relationship between supply and demand.”
In addition, the quality of the self-tests available is very different. Weinberg recommends the list of tested tests of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, which can be searched specifically for the sensitivity of a test. “The more sensitive it is, the more reliable the test result is.”
In addition to vaccines, rapid tests are a central component in the strategy of the federal and state governments against the pandemic. Citizens have been able to have themselves tested again free of charge in rapid test centers since November. In many places, a 2G-plus rule applies, according to which vaccinated and convalescent people have to be tested for access to shops or other facilities.
Dealers see themselves prepared for high demand
Employers also rely on tests in the office. And in the private sphere, the quick test – for example during the holidays – provides additional security when visiting family. “We have to take special care of each other over the Christmas period,” said Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD) recently. According to Lauterbach, one should preferably do several rapid tests on consecutive days.
The Union’s health policy spokesman, Tino Sorge (CDU), therefore expects the demand to rise sharply over the holidays. “If the health minister advises to do several rapid tests one after the other, he has to be sure that the market can do it.” Many citizens would choose the combination of vaccination and testing in order to be able to celebrate with the family as safely as possible.
At the beginning of the month there were occasional bottlenecks in the availability of rapid antigen tests in Germany because the number of citizen tests had jumped again with the increase in infections. Operators of drugstores and supermarkets had admitted certain bottlenecks.
Many manufacturers of the rapid tests are based in China. It will take time for companies to react to the sharp rise in demand. The delivery times are two to three weeks if the supply chains are not disrupted.
At the moment, when asked by the Handelsblatt, the big dealers see themselves prepared for the high demand, but they are also reporting bottlenecks. The drugstore chain dm, for example, announces that it has various products from different providers in its range.
As a result of peaks in demand, it can occasionally happen that the tests are temporarily out of stock in some places. An Aldi spokesman
“Nevertheless, due to fluctuating demand and disrupted supply chains, not all products are always available in sufficient quantities,” says Sebastian Bayer from the management team at dm. In the past few days, however, the delivery situation has improved noticeably.
Competitor Rossmann also reports a demand that is “very high”. “With a view to the holidays, we can say that the supply of goods with Corona self-tests in our branches is currently stable.”
The situation is similar in the Edeka branches. The actual availability of goods could vary, according to a spokeswoman. The food discounter Aldi Süd lets know that the availability is “fundamentally guaranteed”. “As a result of peaks in demand, however, it can occasionally happen that the tests are temporarily out of stock in some places.”
Aldi and most other retailers do not limit the issuance of corona tests. However, Aldi asks its customers “to buy the self-tests only in normal household quantities”.
Health Minister Lauterbach sees no bottleneck
The manufacturers are now giving the all-clear, and Minister Lauterbach sees no bottleneck either. There is no central system for procurement, he said in Berlin. However, the ministry is in contact with the manufacturers. “They see the need met.”
He called for regular testing over the Christmas period. However, a survey among the responsible health ministries of the federal states shows a less clear picture.
Federal states such as Bremen, Saarland and Brandenburg informed the Handelsblatt that enough rapid tests were available. The Hamburg social authority in turn reports a “sluggish availability”. In Bavaria, too, there are “temporary and selective delivery bottlenecks”.
According to information from the local pharmacists’ association there are “massive delivery problems with delivery times of up to three weeks” due to the “nationwide tense market situation”.
The risk of infection increases before Christmas. Many German citizens therefore want to take self-tests before meeting with their families on Christmas Eve.
(Photo: dpa)
Tests could often not be delivered in the quantities ordered. The background to this are delays in global supply chains caused by pandemics. The Federal Association of German Pharmacists’ Associations (ABDA), on the other hand, announced that the situation is currently “easing up somewhat”. Tests are generally available, even if prices fluctuate.
The first companies are having problems procuring self-tests
The situation is also different in companies. The first companies are reporting that the procurement of corona self-tests is becoming increasingly difficult. This is shown by a Handelsblatt survey among selected companies.
The energy supplier Eon says: “We are observing that the availability of self-tests on the market has deteriorated.” The company would therefore procure self-tests in advance and in larger quantities “in order to counter possible delivery bottlenecks”.
The need for corona test kits is great in companies. Companies are only allowed to let vaccinated, convalescent or negatively tested (3G) people onto the premises. The companies report high vaccination rates and many employees in the home office. Nevertheless, production workers are tied to the factory and those who have not been vaccinated must be tested.
For safety reasons, many companies also require vaccinated and convalescents to provide evidence of a negative test. This increases the demand for self-tests.
And they are apparently becoming scarcer in some places. On request, the consumer goods group Beiersdorf announced: “Procurement has become more difficult.” However, stocks are sufficient for the foreseeable future. The sporting goods manufacturer Puma made a similar statement.
Most of the companies surveyed, on the other hand, were less concerned: The Düsseldorf Dax group Henkel announced: “We are currently not affected by a shortage of tests.” The fragrance manufacturer Symrise, the logistics specialist Jungheinrich, the energy supplier RWE and the German stock exchange shared a similar opinion With. The Association of Family Business Owners does not see any major shortage of tests at the moment.
However, all companies are affected by price increases. The tests have become more expensive in recent weeks due to increased demand. For corporations that buy tests en masse, this is financially significant.
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