As reported, the President of the Medical Association of Upper Austria advocates that corona tests will no longer be offered free of charge from autumn. Since everyone can now be vaccinated for free and with the vaccine of their choice, there is no longer any need for two free bars, he said.
Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) did not announce chargeable tests in an interview with the “Kleine Zeitung”, but did not rule them out either. In any case, the tests remained free over the summer, he said and: “We will reassess the situation in the autumn.” Nevertheless, the SPÖ protested against the minister’s vague statements.
First, Neos health spokesman Gerald Loacker demanded that the corona tests should be paid for after the summer so that as many people as possible can be vaccinated. Now Mückstein said: “In the autumn the vaccinations will stagnate one day. We have spent well over a billion euros on tests since the beginning of the pandemic. That was correct, but somebody has to pay for it at some point.” If everyone could take advantage of the vaccination offer, the situation will be reassessed.
SPÖ protests
“Right now, when the number of infections is rising again, there needs to be an expansion of free corona tests and not a withdrawal,” criticized SPÖ health spokesman Philip Kucher. Chargeable tests would not so much increase the willingness to vaccinate as they could lead to an increase in the number of unreported cases of infected people.
