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Labs warn that Switzerland could run out of materials for corona tests in 10 days. The Federal Office of Public Health even wants to increase the volume of testing.
Problem Proof Ability: There is a tough distribution battle around the world right now.
Photo: Moritz Frankenberg (Keystone / Symbolbild)
Testing is an important part of the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) strategy to combat Covid-19. Almost 33,000 tests were carried out from Friday to Monday inclusive. But this cannot go on forever: “We are currently rapidly depleting the supplies of test material that we were able to place during the quieter phase in summer,” says Willi Conrad, president of the Swiss Medical Laboratory Association (FAMH). 20 minutes.
The problem: “All the test material, such as swabs, but also the reagents to make the virus visible, are manufactured abroad. There is currently a global distribution battle for these materials. Switzerland, with its eight million inhabitants, cannot simply buy as much material as it wants or needs, ”says Conrad. Even in summer it was not possible to accumulate large reserves.
“The mood is not rosy”
The situation is precarious: “If the delivery quantities remain the same and the numbers continue to increase as in the last days, the supplies will be exhausted in ten days or two weeks,” says Conrad. Individual labs are already asking others if they still have certain materials in stock and if they can sell something. “The Spiez Laboratory has the task of organizing the distribution of critical goods. The mood in the task force is anything but optimistic, ”says Conrad.
For the president of the FAMH it is clear: “If we only have limited tests, we have to change the strategy and test those people who really depend on them.” Conrad thinks of the nursing staff or the patients in the hospitals. For others, however, a test makes little sense: “If someone goes into quarantine in one way or another for ten days and it is clear that they do not pose a threat to other people, it does not matter if the test is done or not.”
Relativized BAG
The BAG describes the situation in testing as “tense, but not critical,” as media spokesman Jonas Montani puts it. “The federal government is in regular contact with the labs and is watching developments in this area with great interest.” BAG is in contact with various manufacturers and suppliers to find “suitable solutions”.
Several labs are preparing to increase testing capacity, according to Montani. The strategy will also be evaluated and adapted to incorporate rapid tests. “These are not important yet because they have not yet been validated,” says Montani. Its use depends on actual test performance, preliminary recommendations are expected to be released shortly.
“Rapid tests are not a panacea”
For Conrad, however, rapid tests are not a panacea: “First, because they are less accurate than PCR tests. The solution may not be that we still have to verify negative results of rapid bulk tests with a PCR test, because then we will need even more tests in general. ”
According to Conrad, the use of rapid antigen tests should ease the burden of PCR testing. “At the moment, it is not yet clear how rapid antigen tests will be used.” The second problem with rapid tests is that they are single tests. Unlike PCR tests, these are not evaluated fully automatically in the laboratory, but individually. “We cannot increase the testability in an extreme way with it,” says Conrad.
BAG wants to try even more
Despite the tense situation in the market, the BAG wants to further increase testing capabilities, according to media spokesman Montani: “We expect the test volume to increase in winter because there will also be more infections with other respiratory viruses such as flu virus”.
According to Conrad, the capacity is currently around 25,000 tests per day, provided there is enough material available. “If we have the material and expand the human and mechanical resources, we can also achieve the 40,000 daily tests that BAG is aiming for. But that’s not realistic in the current situation, ”says Conrad.
