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Corona test in the pharmacy: Zurich begins pilot test
Soon also feasible in the pharmacy: the corona test. Image: sda
The Zurich health department is starting a pilot test: four pharmacies in the canton are currently conducting new corona tests. Many other pharmacies are expected to join them soon.
The goal is to increase testing capabilities in view of the upcoming winter, the health department announced Monday. It is expected that more people will be tested in the cold season than at this time because flu or cold symptoms are more frequent.
“In the current situation, it is important that even mildly symptomatic people can be tested as quickly as possible,” the canton doctor Christiane Meier is quoted in the message. Pharmacies are easily accessible and therefore an ideal complement to existing test centers.
Target people with mild symptoms
The main target group for pharmacy testing is people with no or mild symptoms. For example, travelers are addressed. The test is done after prior registration, evaluation in an external laboratory.
At the moment, the health department has authorized four pharmacies to carry out PCR tests with nasal and pharyngeal swabs. Three are in Zurich, one in Regensdorf. To be able to perform corona tests, pharmacists had to undergo specific training.
Specialists from around 50 other places have already signed up for this training. They could soon be added to Zurich’s trial offering.
People who have been tested in pharmacies generally only have to pay a small part of the costs at 50 francs. If they meet the federal government’s testing criteria, the federal government will cover the rest of the costs, and therefore a large portion.
Schaffhausen pharmacies have been testing for a long time
In the canton of Schaffhausen, several pharmacies have been offering corona tests since August, as confirmed by the cantonal health department at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. The offer is aimed at people who do not show symptoms of illness and need the test, for example, for a trip abroad or at the request of the employer.
(hour / sda)
