PSD MEPs in the European Parliament questioned today the European Commission about the possibility of launching a specific tender for the purchase of test kits for screening Covid-19, which ensures the necessary supply flows to Member States.
This question to the Commission follows the recommendation of the World Health Organization, which urges States to adopt mass screening policies, giving as an example the actions taken by the Chinese and South Korean authorities and pointing to the data resulting from the studies on the transmission chains of the virus.
The report released last Wednesday by ECDC - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, overlooks the importance of extending the application of tests to people who do not show symptoms. The criteria proposed by this body are apparently intended to optimize the small number of test kits available in most Member States, therefore it would be crucial to launch a specific tender for the massive purchase of test kits.
The European Commission announced this week several calls for joint procurement for personal protective equipment as well as medical ventilators, respiratory equipment and laboratory equipment, including testing kits; and announced the establishment of a common European reserve, to be created under the rescEU, which aims to help fill the lack of material with which many Member States are struggling.