Berlin:
The head of an association representing German medical laboratories has criticized proposals to use veterinary and industrial labs to process coronavirus tests. Andreas Bobrowksi, chairman of the medical laboratories association BDL, says the capacity to conduct more tests is limited by the shortage of materials required to process them, which he says has been “covered up by rationing.” Germany has conducted more than 11.2 million tests for the coronavirus since the start of the outbreak. About 244,600 tests have been positive.
Bobrowski says the available test capacity also would be needed to screen for influenza in the coming months. He called for other measures such as preventive quarantine and travel restrictions rather than expanding the number of people who are tested. Germany has nearly 245,000 coronavirus cases and 9,300 confirmed dead.
