Jens Spahn is not only seen as the “announcement minister” by the opposition. The coalition partner also awarded the health minister this title weeks ago with the urge for higher things. As in February, the most important pandemic fighter in Merkel's cabinet is accused of mismanagement when it comes to test strategy, as was previously the case with the procurement of masks and vaccines. At the beginning of the third wave, it was his promise, immediately accepted by the Chancellor, that every citizen would receive two free corona rapid tests per week by March 1st. Now that the wave has broken and a negative Corona-proof is a condition for visiting the (outside) opened restaurants and beer gardens, the test business is booming.
In many places there is obviously a gold rush mood among providers who carry out "citizen tests" in improvised test stations with quickly trained auxiliary staff and have these reimbursed by the state at profitable prices. It is possible that tests that never existed were billed fraudulently on a large scale. However, Spahn cannot be blamed for the fact that the responsible health authorities in federal states and municipalities are overwhelmed when it comes to checking the medical quality of the tests. But the standards, which are apparently quite low set by the federal government, have also motivated non-industry companies to enter the rapid test industry. As with the mask affair, the pandemic is a real windfall for some.