Government returns to participate in rapid antigen tests
According to the Ministry of Health, rapid antigen tests will be free again as of Friday. This initiative is due to the fact that the most recent figures leave no doubt as to the evolution of the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic is growing again in Portugal, and with the festive season approaching, little care is needed. Certainly, at this point, everyone still remembers what happened a year ago!
Rapid antigen tests: reimbursement remains limited to four tests per month
The rapid antigen tests carried out in pharmacies and laboratories that adhere to the exceptional reimbursement scheme will once again be free of charge as of Friday, the Ministry of Health announced today. The ordinance extending the scheme approved in June is published today in Diário da Republic, the ministry said in a note sent to the Lusa agency. Co-payment remains limited to a maximum of four tests per month and per user.
The Ministry of Health justifies this renewal of the regime taking into account the current epidemiological situation and the importance of intensifying tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a progressive and risk-proportionate manner, which contributes to the strengthening of control of the pandemic.
According to the latest data released by the Task Force to promote the Operationalization Plan for the Testing Strategy for SARS-CoV-2, more than 20 million diagnostic tests for covid-19 have been carried out in Portugal since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. This year, around 48 thousand tests were carried out a day, on average, more than 70% of the total diagnostic tests carried out since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the data released on 6 November.
The rapid antigen test is one of three COVID-19 testing methods. This test allows to identify the presence of specific proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The main benefits of this test are the speed and simplicity of the process. Results are available in about 20-30 minutes.