Pharmacies stock up with self-test kits

About 1,950,000 household do-it-yourself coronavirus testing kits (in multipacks of 25) had arrived in Greece until Friday, of which 1,600,000 were distributed to around 100 warehouses supplying private pharmacies. Some 350,000 of these kits are located in the two central warehouses in Attica and Thessaloniki.

Each private pharmacy has received at least 75 self-tests, while several received additional kits tests to meet demand. Pharmacies must declare their receipt of the kits on a special digital platform. 

According to the president of the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association, Apostolos Valtas, the vast majority of active pharmacies in the country have received tests. There are 11,800 pharmacies in the country, of which, however, about 700 are inactive at the moment.

Beneficiaries must show their social security number (AMKA) and their ID. Their AMKA will be registered by the pharmacist on the special platform in order to check whether they are entitled to take the test. Refugee pupils must present their health insurance number while foreign pupils must have their temporary AMKA.

The vast majority of pharmacies have procured the tests and made them available to pupils and teachers, who from Monday will be able to receive the second test they are entitled to.

Pupils and teachers must present the certificate of a negative test to their school every Monday and Thursday.

The recommendation is that they take the test either the same morning or the night before. They must then declare the test result on the self-testing.gov.gr platform, which issues the relevant certificate. If no printer is available, parents and teachers must present a handwritten statement.

If the test is positive, a certificate will be issued for a repeat test by a health professional in a public or private facility.