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Date Published: 17/12/2021

ARCHIVED - Why are antigen tests free in the UK and not in Spain?

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Experts argue that authorities in Spain can’t request tests if they won’t pay for them

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Why are antigen tests free in the UK and not in Spain?

With Christmas just around the corner and the cumulative incidence rate bordering the very high risk level, the demand for self-diagnosis coronavirus antigen tests has gone through the roof, with pharmacies reporting a 115% increase in sales in November. Although these tests are not 100% reliable and can give false negatives in infected but asymptomatic people or those with a low viral load, epidemiologists recognise that it is “an additional layer of prevention”.

While antigen tests can be obtained free of charge in the UK through the government website, in Spain the cost is not regulated by the government and, with a price tag of up to 10 euros in some chemists, can be prohibitive for many. In contrast, Salvador Macip, a researcher from the University of Leicester, explained that the free tests in Britain are sent directly to your home and people can order a box of seven each day.

“They make it very easy for you”, he concluded.

The only concession the Spanish government has made is to eliminate VAT on this product, but manufacturers are still free to set their own prices, and the costs vary widely. Mr Macip has emphasised that “it is essential to be able to do tests to control the pandemic, especially now at Christmas” and has recommended that the government in Spain provide antigens free of charge, despite the “economic and logistical problem” this might create.

It is also worth noting that the health authorities in Madrid plan to offer free tests to all residents in the run-up to the holiday season, as it also did last summer, so it would seem that some communities can indeed squeeze the cost out of their annual budgets. In Cantabria, the Cs political party has proposed that the tests be subsidized at 50% to facilitate access to them.

In this regard, Spain appears to be falling behind much of Europe. In Germany, antigen tests are available free of charge to the population, while in neighbouring Portugal, supermarkets such as Mercadona offer the tests for just 2.10 euros. In addition, some 927 pharmacies and 438 laboratories throughout the country sell antigen tests which will be reimbursed 100% by the government until the end of the year.

In nearby France, antigen tests are only sold in pharmacies and health centres but the price is regulated by law, so the maximum amount a manufacturer can charge is 6.01 euros. In fact, until October 15, French social security covered 100% of the cost.

If it is being done elsewhere, the expert has pointed out, it should be done in Spain. “Antigen tests are only useful if done periodically, because one alone is not a guarantee of anything,” he said. “You can’t ask people to take tests regularly if you don’t give them out for free.”

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