Other stores to follow Aldi to sell rapid Covid-19 tests for home use starting Saturday

Berlin · Beginning on Saturday, Aldi will be selling the first rapid Covid-19 tests which can be used at home for self-testing. The drugstore chains DM and Rossmann plan to start selling them on Tuesday.

 At-home rapid Covid-19 tests are expected to be available for purchase starting on March 9.

At-home rapid Covid-19 tests are expected to be available for purchase starting on March 9.

Foto: dpa/Marijan Murat

On Saturday, the first Covid-19 rapid tests for self-testing are to go on sale to the general public in Germany. As Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd announced on Wednesday, the tests produced in Germany will be available for purchase at the checkout. Initially, customers will be limited to one package of tests, which costs around 25 euros. It contains five tests, the results of which should be available in 15 minutes following a nasal swab. The detection rate is reportedly 96 percent.

Discounter competitor Lidl and the supermarkets Rewe and Edeka also have the topic on their radar. DM drugstores will be offering rapid Covid-19 tests to take home starting on Tuesday. As DM managing director Sebastian Bayer explained, the rapid tests are to be sold here "as cheaply as possible”. But the company had not yet named a specific price.

To ensure that as many people as possible can benefit, DM also said that it would temporarily limit the quantity of rapid tests sold to each customer. When further deliveries have been made or other tests are approved, this will be lifted. It said it was in close contact with the Federal Ministry of Health and with other authorities. The company emphasized that the tests are highly reliable when used correctly.

The drugstore chain Rossmann is also targeting Tuesday for the start of sales, "provided delivery commitments are met," according to a spokeswoman. In order to be able to offer a test to as many customers as possible, the quantity per person will be limited. Rossmann is working at full speed to be able to include tests from other manufacturers.

Since the start of the pandemic about a year ago, retailers have been quick to stock their shelves with products that have become box office hits - whether disinfectants or protective masks. The home test kits are also expected to be sold in pharmacies.

(Orig. text: Christine Bähr / Translation: Carol Kloeppel)

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