Pharmacies to stop supplying Covid self-test kits
Covid-19 self-testing kits required by hundreds of thousands of private and public sector workers will stop being distributed free of charge by people’s local pharmacies by the end of the month, the Association of Greek Pharmacists (PFS) said on Tuesday.
In an announcement, the PFS clarified that deliveries to private and public sector workers registered on the self-testing.gov.gr platform will go ahead as planned through Sunday, supplying them with the three kits they will need to see them through the end of the month, with a weekly test taken before showing up at work.
As far as school students and educators are concerned, the PFS said that pharmacies will distribute three kits to each beneficiary from June 14 to 19, thus ensuring that the rest of the semester and national university entrance exams are seen through safely, but stressed that supply would stop after that.
The news was confirmed by Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Akis Skertsos, who said, however, that “alternative channels” will be available to supply kits to people who are required to produce a negative Covid test once a week to go to work.
He said distribution would continue through the summer but did not specify what these alternative channels will be. He also said that all 18-30-year-olds are eligible for free kits, though it was not clear how they are registered on the platform.
Hailing the self-testing program that was launched on April 12 to facilitate the safe reopening of economic and social activity after a months-long lockdown, Skertsos claimed that it helped contribute to a drop of 73% in the number of new coronavirus infections, 65% in hospital admissions and 53% in the positivity index.
