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When are Covid-19 home tests used in Denmark?

The Local Denmark
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When are Covid-19 home tests used in Denmark?
(ARKIV) Oslo 20211221. Fremover skal særligt folk i sygehusvæsenet vænne sig til at selvteste i kampen mod coronavirus. Det skriver Ritzau, onsdag den 22. december 2021.. (Foto: Erik Johansen/Ritzau Scanpix)

Home tests for Covid-19 are to be offered to school children and staff across Denmark as part of the government’s strategy to keep schools open.

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With twice weekly testing advised for children and staff at schools by health authorities, parents will be offered free home testing kits as of January 5th.

Regular testing, including with the home tests, is one of a number of key tools which can be used to help keep schools open amid high current national infection numbers, education minister Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil said on Tuesday.

All children from first grade up, along with staff, are encouraged to test twice weekly for Covid-19.

Parents are offered home testing kits for this purpose, should they wish to use them, although they can also continue to use the testing centres of they prefer.

While home tests will be offered for free at schools, they can also be purchased in Denmark at some pharmacies and online.

Home testing for Covid-19 has not been as widely used in Denmark so far during the pandemic in comparison to other countries – for example the United Kingdom, where it is common to hear references to “LFTs” (lateral flow tests or rapid antigen tests for Covid-19, which are taken at home) before gatherings or for screening purposes.

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Instead, high capacity for both municipal PCR testing and rapid antigen testing by contracted private companies at test centres has sought to meet Denmark’s screening and testing demands.

In addition to PCR and rapid test centres, home testing kits can be used in Denmark provided they have the CE mark, according to the country’s official Covid-19 information page coronasmitte.dk.

The official site advises use of the home tests in situations including “prior to a larger party or if you cannot avoid being with a lot of people”.

They can also be used if you “are to be with a person at increased risk of serious illness with Covid-19” and for school testing, it states.

A negative home test does not provided a valid coronapas (Covid-19 health pass), which must currently be shown at bars, restaurants and cafes among other settings.

If a home or “self test” returns a positive result, a PCR test must be taken “as soon as possible” to confirm the result.

READ ALSO: Covid-19: Denmark could return to ‘normal life in two months’

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