July 6, 2021 - (Berlin, GER) Mobile e-cargo bike coronavirus testing units in Berlin are part of a private sector mass-testing infrastructure that has sprung up across Germany over the last three months reports The Guardian.
The daily free Bürgertests or “citizens’ tests” have been a financial life-saver since bars and restaurants closed down: the cost of each test is reimbursed to service providers by the federal states.
Questions over the accuracy of antigen (also known as lateral-flow) tests, have prompted criticism of health minister Jens Spahn’s scheme including the Institute of Laboratory Medicine at Stuttgart’s Marienhospital which claims, “you can only carry out totally reliable tests in a controlled laboratory environment.”
But a new study published by the University of Bonn suggests weekly rapid tests for 42% of Germany’s population in May 2021 played a more crucial part in the steep drop-off in infection rates than vaccines.
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