Germany has approved three COVID-19 tests for home use as part of a strategy by Health Minister Jens Spahn to help Europe's largest economy emerge from isolation since mid-December, Reuters reported.
Germany's infection rate has steadily declined in the first weeks of the year, but has remained unchanged in recent days, making it difficult to lift the restrictions for leaders who will gather next week to discuss isolation rules in effect until March 7th.
Chancellor Angela Merkel told lawmakers from her Conservative party that increasing the availability of rapid tests and increasing testing opportunities could make the return to normality more lasting, two sources told the agency.
The government expects such tests to cost it up to € 810 million ($ 985 million) a month for 30 million to 45 million tests, according to documents obtained by Reuters.
The German pharmaceutical regulator has approved antigen tests manufactured by Healgen Scientific, Xiamen Boson Biotech, and Hangzhou Laihe Biotech for use by people other than medical professionals.
Other countries are also relying on home tests to limit the spread of the virus. In Austria, self-tests are already used in schools, and from next week they will be available to the public free of charge in pharmacies.
In England, volunteers and police have distributed COVID-19 test kits to try and stop the highly contagious variant that originated in South Africa from spreading.
