London. UK health authorities intend to be ready to start charging Britons for Covid-19 tests, which are currently free, from the end of June, in what could be a risky tactic for the government.
The UK is increasingly relying on rapid tests to try to tackle the more transmissible but less risky variant of Omicron, which has spread rapidly in the population.
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The British government said earlier that it could end the universal free provision of easy-to-use immunochromatographs at a “later stage” and that individuals and companies would bear the cost.
For its part, the United States opened the website for citizens to request free tests for the Covid-19 virus at home one day before it was announced and when there was one day left until the first anniversary of President Joe Biden’s assumption of power.
Authorities have enabled the COVIDTests.gov portal, where Americans can request a maximum of four free antigen tests be sent per household, which has already received nearly 800,000 visits, according to the government.
Maintain global alert
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the continuation of the international emergency due to Covid-19 declared since January 30, 2020, although the current wave of global infections, in record numbers, is not accompanied by an increase in deaths. , because many of the new cases are mild.
The World Health Organization’s emergency committee, which met for more than four hours on January 14, advised the organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who approved the proposal, to maintain this level of alert.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization added that the epidemic “is not over”, and also completely ruled out that the alternative, “Omicron”, which is spreading rapidly throughout the world, is benign.
“Omicron has caused hospitalizations and deaths. Even minor cases overwhelm health centers,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.
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