(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The PCR tests, bought last spring by the Swiss government as part of an emergency reserve, have expired, costing the authorities millions of francs in losses.
This content was published on April 11, 2021 - 13:00 April 11, 2021 - 13:00 Keystone-SDA/gw
In 2020 over a million coronavirus tests were purchased by the Swiss army pharmacy on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health to the tune of CHF16.7 million ($18.06 million), army spokesperson Stefan Hofer told the Keystone-SDA news agency, confirming a report published in the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag.
Of that lot, 740,000 tests passed their expiry date in March and April of this year, for a loss of nearly CHF14 million. PCR tests have a limited shelf life because of their chemical components.
The public health office decided to close the pharmacy warehouse in January, according to Hofer. The army managed to sell 300,000 tests from the emergency reserve to laboratories but only at 10% of the original purchase price. The government was thus able to recoup CHF3 million, the NZZ am Sonntag reported.
Hofer said no decision has been taken on whether the remaining tests will be destroyed or if the individual components could still be used.
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