On Wednesday evening, the National Council gave the green light for the "living room corona tests" that the opposition had been calling for for a long time. These should be available for collection in pharmacies from March 1, 2021. Basic requirements: Valid health insurance and birth before January 1st, 2006.

As with vaccinations, there will be an acute shortage economy at the beginning. Even if politicians and the head of the Chamber of Pharmacists praise themselves for the fact that three million kits will be available for collection from next week, this does not hide the fact that these will be available in many pharmacies from March 15, 2021 at the earliest, i.e. two weeks later.

Incidentally, the neighboring country of Germany creates the ones announced by Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) Free tests by pharmacy staff not from March 1, 2021. Chancellor Merkel (CDU) intervened personally.

The explanation why younger people are exempt from the free self-tests is a little cynical. This group would be tested twice a week in schools anyway. However, people who have deregistered from ELGA and / or eMedication can also face massive problems and even be excluded from collecting the free self-tests. The draft that was adopted provides that the Delivery is to be processed via the ELGA system. The communication from the health committee stated that only people who take part in ELGA are entitled to use the free self-tests.

Interestingly, in the Media release from Wednesday, in which Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) and Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) shower each other with self-praise for the free tests by pharmacy staff and the upcoming free "living room tests", nothing more to read.

The Austrian head of government in the o-ton: “In addition to the free tests at school, the nationwide test streets and the company tests, the self-tests offer another option in the fight against Corona. I would like to thank everyone who is regularly tested, so we are now on the way to becoming test world champions. The tests help to keep the infection process under control as much as possible and to regain more freedom step by step ”.

Five test kits per month are to be given out free of charge. The Ministry of Health announced as follows: “The main purpose of the self-tests is to give people at home an opportunity to make an initial assessment. In this way, you add an essential component to the free trial offer. The tests can be obtained by means of an e-card or social security number, which serve as proof of identity ”.

Health Minister Anschober adds: “The free self-tests are another important component in fighting pandemics. Especially when we want to see our loved ones and relatives, we create an additional opportunity to bring some normalcy back into our everyday life in the pandemic. The tests are important, but they do not replace our protective measures such as FFP2 masks, minimum distance and hand hygiene ”.

Only three million pieces available

However, it should also be more interesting whether there are enough self-test kits available. Ulrike Mursch-Edlmayr, President of the Chamber of Pharmacists, is convinced that this will succeed. She explains: “During the crisis, we proved that we can achieve something extraordinary in these extraordinary times. Many pharmacies have hired additional staff and work a lot of overtime. We want to do the best we can to help overcome the pandemic. For the first week, a total of 3 million individual tests are to be delivered to us by the weekend. We have to prepare the delivered tests in the pharmacies on Saturday and Sunday as 5 test packs with explanatory information material so that we can pass them on to people. It will be very challenging in terms of time and organization. Ideally, we will be able to provide 600.000 people with self-tests in the first week. The distribution of free living room tests by pharmacies is a long-term project. The pharmacies are constantly being supplied with new tests. Every citizen can assume to receive his or her test kit - little by little. "

In the following paragraph, however, there is a restriction, because the self-tests should only be available for collection from pharmacies "nationwide throughout the country" from around March 15, 2021. This implies that there are not enough kits available to start with. The message says that three million units should be available next week.