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ARCHIVED - Spain now considering rapid antigen coronavirus testing in pharmacies
Pharmacies will have to meet stringent criteria in order to offer testing services
In what is being seen as a u-turn on its previously stated policies the Spanish government indicated on Wednesday that dispensing chemists and pharmacies may be able to administer rapid antigen coronavirus tests in the near future, despite various concerns expressed by medical professionals over such procedures being taken out of the hands of fully qualified medics.
In announcing the apparent change of heart Salvador Illa, the Minister for Health, explained that in those Autonomous Communities of Spain where the regional government wishes to empower pharmacies to perform testing it will be necessary to produce a detailed plan of action to ensure that proper procedures are followed. These include guarantees that the individuals performing the tests are adequately qualified and that the establishments where the service is offered will create separate “Covid” and “non-Covid” circuits for attending to members of the public.
In addition, it will be necessary to guarantee sufficient protection measures inside the pharmacies and for them to be incorporated into the “Covid detection network” by which cases are reported. Regional governments will also have to justify the motives for adding pharmacies to their detection networks and specify for how long they intend to do so, as well as explaining what will happen to patients who test positive.
Among the regional governments to have already expressed their intention to enlist the services of pharmacies in antigen coronavirus testing are those of Madrid, Catalunya and Murcia, and although the statements made by Sr Illa do not constitute a full granting of permission they do at least show a willingness to evaluate the proposals being made.
The Minister also denied reversing his policy on the issue on the grounds that he is simply implementing the recommendations made by the European Commission to EU member states which already allow pharmacy testing. But Spanish medical associations remain opposed to the innovation, not due to the lack of qualifications held by the people administering the tests, the results of which can take as little as 15 minutes to emerge, but also because it is widely felt that antigen testing is insufficiently accurate in the case of asymptomatic patients.