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Free Covid-19 tests end in Germany

Although greatly curtailed recently, free Covid-19 tests officially ended in Germany for almost everyone on Monday - with exceptions only for medical personnel.

Published: 16 January 2023 13:36 CET

Free Covid-19 tests end in Germany

Germany’s federal health ministry has ended its funding for free Covid-19 antigen tests – a measure that kept the country’s testing rate fairly high over the course of most of the pandemic.

The decision comes after several federal states, including Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hessen, Thuringia, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein – dropped their mandatory isolation periods for people with a Covid-19 infection.

Because free tests were often used to determine whether someone was infected with Covid-19 and had to go into isolation or to allow someone to end their isolation period with a negative test, the federal health ministry said that there’s no longer any reason for it to continue funding tests if isolation isn’t required.

Free tests will remain in place for medical staff until announced otherwise. Tests will also still be free of charge for anyone planning on visiting a clinic or nursing home until the end of February.

In the meantime, many remaining mask mandates in Germany – including the requirement to wear FFP2 or KN95 masks on long-distance trains – will be dropped as of February 2nd.

READ ALSO: Germany to drop mask mandate in trains and buses from February 2 nd

Many state governments are also slated to follow suit by dropping mask requirements on public transport starting in February – including Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia, and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein have already ended the mask-wearing requirement.

READ ALSO: Several German states to drop Covid masks on public transport in February

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Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI, the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent.

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI.

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI.

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests.

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well.

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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