First Covid self-tests now available at Dutch pharmacies

The first coronavirus self-tests are available to buy at pharmacies in the Netherlands from Wednesday, the Ministry of Public Health announced. These do-it-yourself tests are meant for preventive testing, for example if you have to go to school or work, or visit someone someone in a coronavirus risk group.

The Ministry gave the first two manufacturers permission to sell self-tests last week. The self-tests are antigen tests that give results in 15 minutes. They're now available at some pharmacies, and the Ministry hopes to have them available at all pharmacies, drugstores and supermarkets in the near future.

Producers of self-tests must provide clear instructions that can be understood by people with no medical background. The product must be easy to use and reliable. Consumers can check this site to see whether their self-test was approved for use by the Ministry.

"By taking the test to the people instead of the people to the test, we can cut off the virus even faster," Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said on Wednesday after symbolically buying the first self-test. "With self-tests we increase safety in contact between people. It is great that the first self-tests are now available in pharmacies. We hope that even more manufacturers of quick tests will find their way to the shelves."