There are twice as many COVID patients? Poles buy tens of thousands of tests a day in pharmacies [GRAPH OF THE DAY]

The coronavirus epidemic is gaining momentum, as evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Health. On Thursday, a very large number of COVID-19 cases was recorded again - there were nearly 30,000.

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The true scale of the pandemic, however, may be much higher, because not all Poles who have symptoms of infection report to the appropriate points for tests. This is evidenced by the data prepared for Gazeta.pl by the WherePoLek.pl portal.

Doctors issue 35,000 referrals for tests, Poles buy almost twice as many themselves

The statistics collected from pharmacies are commented on by Maciej Jakubczyk, one of the founders of the website, in an interview with Gazeta.pl. - Every day, Poles buy in pharmacies up to almost 35,000 antigen tests for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is almost as much as the daily number of referrals issued by GPs - he states.

Maciej Jakubczyk emphasizes that the results obtained from the test purchased at the pharmacy do not enter the official system. This may be one of the reasons why they are so popular with patients.

The estimation of sales of unregistered tests does not include their sale in non-pharmacy trade, including in regular stores.

Experts: Poles rushed to antigen tests. Ten-fold increase

According to the service's representatives, antigen tests have become one of the most sought-after products on MiejscePoLek.pl. - Within a month, sales in pharmacies increased more than tenfold. If all pharmacies have average results similar to nearly two thousand pharmacies integrated with our system, it can be estimated that almost 35,000 individual tests were sold in pharmacies on Wednesday alone, enumerates the representative of the service.

In his opinion, tests are disappearing from both stationary and online pharmacies. - We also often see purchases for invoices for companies, sometimes involving dozens of tests - he adds.

Why do Poles test themselves on their own? Expert: Some patients are afraid

Mgr farm. Olga Sierpniowska, editor of DobrzePoLek, reminds that doctors from the Zielonogórski Agreement alerted this week that Poles are resisting sending them for tests. They want to avoid isolation or quarantine. Meanwhile, the results of tests bought in pharmacies are not recorded.

- Another reason for reaching for tests from pharmacies may also be ease of access. Some patients may have a problem with getting to a distant collection point or do not feel strong enough to wait in line for testing. The test from the pharmacy is available immediately and can be delivered to the patient, for example, by another family member - he explains.

In her opinion, these are not the only reasons. - Some patients are afraid of the procedure of taking a sample from the nasopharynx, which some politicians have recently compared to "torture". In pharmacies, they can buy more convenient tests with a sample taken from the nose (not the nasopharynx) or saliva, he explains.

Olga Sierpniowska claims that another reason to reach for tests from pharmacies may be upcoming family meetings. - The upcoming holidays may increase the popularity of testing even more - he estimates.

Companies started testing employees?

In the opinion of the website, the popularity of tests may also be due to a change in the approach of employers. - Some corporations have already implemented self-monitoring using tests. The procedures are to protect employees from the transmission of the virus. – says the interlocutor of Gazeta.pl.

Representatives of the service also claim that the tests available in pharmacies differ from those that can be bought in supermarkets. - First of all, pharmacies provide specialist consultation on how to use the test and what to do depending on the results, secondly, good conditions for storing the product at a controlled temperature. Sending a test with a good brand to supermarkets is not considered positive in terms of image, although we know of a case of one recognized test available in stores, so there are exceptions to this rule, says Maciej Jakubczyk.

Is the pharmacy test effective?

Mgr farm. Angelika Talar-Śpionek emphasizes that the antigen test for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, intended for self-testing, is not very complicated to perform. In her opinion, it is, after all, more difficult for the patient to perform than, for example, blood or urine tests.

- When it comes to the appearance, principle of operation, method of performance or reliability of the results obtained, such a test does not have to differ significantly from the properties of products intended only for professionals. However, it will be labeled and adapted for use by the layman.

The expert emphasizes that the antigen test should be performed at the initial stage of the disease, when the virus multiplies most intensively - up to 5-7 days from the onset of symptoms. The result of this type of test is not affected by the fact of possible vaccination against COVID-19.