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Anyone who knows they have contracted the coronavirus can isolate themselves and warn the people they last had contact with; For this reason, coronavirus testing has been one of the most important tools to contain the virus since the pandemic began. As of the spring, testing capabilities were still relatively limited, and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) especially recommended that people with relevant symptoms or risky contacts get tested.
German laboratories can now evaluate around 1.5 million PCR tests per week. In addition to the polymerase chain reaction, other testing procedures have now been added that should allow for even more knowledge about the spread of the virus in the population. For example, some manufacturers have recently started offering rapid antigen tests that sometimes show a result in 15 minutes (read more here). There are also antibody tests that can be used to check if someone has already been infected with Sars-CoV-2.
Now, the federal government has revised the coronavirus testing regulation for Germany for the third time. It was signed by Jens Spahn on Wednesday morning and will go into effect on Thursday. Who should get tested from now on? And what testing procedure is used when? The most important facts at a glance:
Who is being tested?
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Symptomatic people
Anyone with relevant Covid-19 symptoms. You have to take into account other possible illnesses, such as the flu. -
The contact person
Contact persons are persons who in the last ten days
– in conversation situations at least 15 minutes of close contact to a person infected with the coronavirus,
– in the same home live with a confirmed case
– they were in a situation where it was too much Aerosol transmission could have come (e.g. celebrations, indoor sports, choir rehearsals),
– with a corona positive person for a period of more than 30 minutes were in a relatively confined space (e.g. school classrooms, asylum seeker homes),
– through Corona-Warn application have received a warning
– a crown positive person I have cared or cared or from a positive person were cared or cared for. -
After the appearance of infections in facilities.
After outbreaks in certain facilities, such as retirement and nursing homes, facilities for people with disabilities, hospitals, dialysis or rehabilitation facilities, employees and residents can be tested, even if they do not have symptoms. People who have been to the facility in the last ten days, such as visitors, can also be tested. -
Individual test concepts
The ordinance provides the aforementioned facilities to create an individual test concept if it helps prevent further spread of Sars-CoV-2. Rapid antigen tests can also be used. -
Entry from risk areas
Travelers from risk areas are not mentioned in the new test regulations, but they are in the RKI scheme. Accordingly, asymptomatic people coming to Germany from a foreign risk zone can be tested within ten days. According to the RKI, people who have stayed in a risk zone within Germany can also get tested.
How often can a person be tested?
According to the regulations, each test can be repeated once per person, as long as the test criteria apply to the person. For facilities such as nursing homes or nursing homes with an individual testing concept, the following applies: both residents and employees or visitors can be assessed once a week by the health insurance companies.
How much does a test cost?
If the above testing criteria are applied to an individual, the legal health insurance company pays the testing costs. Even people who are not legally insured have the right to pathogen detection. A PCR test that includes medical laboratory services, shipping supplies, and transportation costs costs health insurance companies according to the testing ordinance. 50.50 euros. Self-payers who only want to voluntarily prove themselves for personal reasons, for example when entering an airport, sometimes have to pay three times as much. An antigen test that is evaluated in the laboratory costs according to the testing ordinance 15 euros. Come in both cases 15 euros in additionThey can bill physicians for taking samples, reporting results, and issuing a certificate.
In which cases are rapid antigen tests used?
From now on, antigen testing should contribute to further expansion of testing capacity. Due to their lower precision, according to the RKI, the use of these tests is only a useful addition to other measurements under certain conditions.
Therefore, the test regulations stipulate that any positive antigen test result must be reconfirmed by a PCR test. Because PCR is much more reliable than antigen testing (read more about it here).
Rapid on-site tests, called site-of-care antigen tests (PoC antigen tests), are primarily used for testing asymptomatic people, and especially when a false negative test result has no serious consequences.
A rapid test result may be desired in several situations: for example, in emergency rooms, where doctors and nurses make quick decisions and have to quickly isolate clearly corona-positive people from other patients. The tests are also suitable for periodic check-ups of staff, residents or visitors in nursing homes and nursing homes or similar facilities. According to the RKI, they are also suitable as laboratory tests for examining large quantities of samples.
Antigen tests do not exclude infection with certainty, but they have a relatively high probability of detecting highly infectious people. The usual protective measures and AHA rules should not be ignored even if the test result is negative. However, this testing strategy filters out at least some of the highly contagious cases and thus increases safety at facilities with vulnerable risk groups.
A disadvantage of antigen testing is that in Germany, medically trained personnel still have to take the nasopharyngeal swab. Because the result of rapid tests also depends on whether there is enough virus available. Good sampling increases the reliability of the tests.
In which cases are PCR tests used?
The gold standard remains the PCR test. It is still considered the most reliable test for diagnosing Sars-CoV-2. To confirm or exclude with a relatively high probability whether a person has been infected with the virus, PCR is still used, even if it has some disadvantages: for example, the long time to the test result or the comparatively high costs (read more on individual testing procedures here).
A PCR test is always recommended in case of symptoms or direct contact with confirmed cases of Sars CoV-2. Also after a positive antigen test (see above). The RKI also recommends using the PCR test for outbreaks in nursing homes, hospitals, or doctor’s offices.
