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If Health Minister Alain Berset (48) has his way, we will soon perform the corona test ourselves at home and receive the result immediately. Several European countries are already using these tests. They are on everyone’s lips, literally, because they do not look for corona clues through a nasal swab, but in saliva.
“I hope it is very fast and that we can validate these tests soon,” says Berset on the sidelines of a visit to Zurich. And Daniel Koch (65), the former “Mr. Corona “in the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), advocates these tests:” The Swiss population is so serious that most of them would participate, “he is convinced.
Open questions about quality
But it’s not that far yet. The canton of Bern, for example, is already testing saliva tests at home, but the federal government is still lagging a bit. We are in talks with both Bern and the manufacturers, says Anne Lévy (49), Director of BAG. But there are still many unanswered questions: the quality is too low, self-tests are not as reliable as PCR tests, for example.
There is also the risk that the federal government will lose the thread of things: Unlike the labs that evaluate tests that have been approved thus far, Mr. and Mrs. Swiss will hardly ever send their self-test results to the FOPH. Therefore, it is already clear: “If the self-test is positive, it must be repeated with a PCR test,” says Lévy.
Whether and when saliva testing will now also be allowed: Everyone agrees that Switzerland has to “step on the gas” with regard to corona testing, as Koch puts it.
More money for mass testing
As for testing, there is another construction site: mass testing in the cantons. The federal government pays for routine and preventive testing of older people’s homes, schools, or businesses. But that is not possible without bureaucracy and concepts, which is why some cantons have shown little interest in preventive testing. However, now the pressure comes from the parliament: according to the will of the health commissions, the federal government should actively promote the tests and, above all, take care of the “uncovered costs”.
“I imagine that the reluctance of some cantons is also due to funding,” says the SP national councilor, Flavia Wasserfallen (42), to Blick TV. She would appreciate if the federal government would take more money in their hands here. Because when it is tested, Wasserfallen is clear that “it must not fail because of the price”.
Downtown politicians want incentives
Erich Ettlin (58), member of the Council of States, would also like more generous compensation. “It would make sense to have a flat fee that also takes into account personnel and material costs,” he says. But incentives are also needed. “Those who do a lot of testing should have the opportunity to decide on earlier or more extensive easing,” says Ettlin.
This would give the cantons more decision-making power, “which would also be a way back to federalism.” It sounds similar with party colleague Ruth Humbel (63), president of the National Council’s Health Commission: “The cantons that have their numbers and tests under control should also have more opportunities.”
More like money than power for mass testing
Until now, Berset has always rejected such ideas: the epidemiological situation is too similar throughout Switzerland. And if the cantons set their own rules, this quickly leads to a distortion of competition and a chaos of different measures, as was the case in autumn.
Therefore, the incentive for mass testing should remain money. And as Berset suggests, the federal government may loosen this up further. “We are not yet where we want to be,” he says. Now check the strategy for bulk testing, including the criteria for cost assumption.
