Widespread voluntary testing for coronavirus has begun in the Czech Republic, allowing people to undergo antigen tests for free as they are covered by health insurance. According to the Minister of Health Jan Blatný, the capacity will be up to 60,000 tests per day.
People can get tested voluntarily at about 170 testing points and several hundred doctors’ offices, however, it is necessary to register online for the tests in advance. The ministry has also launched a website that acts as a signpost for information.
The testing has become available at a time when people are reuniting with family for the holidays, which has prompted increased demand. According to the survey, about 40 percent of the population is interested.
The test result is known in about 20 minutes. It is possible to repeat the test once every five days until Jan. 15.
About 1,300 Praguers planned on taking the COVID-19 antigen test on the very first day, according to data from the reservation systems of the testing points. Free dates now usually only appear after someone else drops their appointment. Some general practitioners and outpatient specialists doctors’ offices also test their patients as about 170 of them registered in the metropolis.
The epidemiological situation in the Czech Republic is deteriorating significantly again after a month, and the number of people infected with the new coronavirus jumped to almost 8,000 on Tuesday.
Title image: A man gets tested for COVID-19 at a sampling station in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. The country coped well with the first wave of the coronavirus infections in the spring but has been facing a record surge of the new confirmed cases last week. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
