Greece to Offer Coronavirus Self-Testing Kits to the Entire Population

Greece will start offering Coronavirus self-testing kits next month to the entire population of the country, the government said on Saturday.

This comes as the latest addition to a series of measures that aim to curve the rising coronavirus infections in the country.

Information and details on the new self-tests were announced by the Greek authorities, who claim that Greece will be the first EU member-state to offer these tests to the entire population free-of-charge.

According to the governmental guide, free antigen tests will be available from the first week of April to the citizens.

People will be able to make the test themselves at home. When a positive result is found, people will have to report it to the authorities and self-isolate.

“It is a new tool in the country’s battle against the pandemic. The tests will allow better epidemiological monitoring, and of course prevention,” Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ office said in a statement that was released on Saturday.

The accuracy of these tests is believed to vary from 95 to 99 percent, offering a great deal of certainty to those who conduct it.

Greece Faces Third Wave of Coronavirus Infections

Greece recorded another 2,535 new Coronavirus cases on Saturday, according to official data presented by the country’s authorities.

Unfortunately, another grim record was set, as a total of 672 patients with COVID-19 were intubated in Greece on Saturday, surpassing Friday’s record of 649 patients.

This is the highest number of people undergoing Intencive Care Uniit treatment recorded in the country, since the beginning of the pandemic.

The median age of those intubated is 68 years of age. Tragically, 60 more people with the coronavirus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period. This brings the total death toll from the pandemic in Greece to a staggering 7,421, a number still lower compared to nearby countries.

With information from AMNA.