Having yourself tested at the GGD after a positive self-test is no longer necessary as of this week. Then the question arises what will happen to test streets and vaccination locations. A tour of the three GGDs in Brabant teaches us this.
After a positive self-test, you no longer have to go to the GGD since Monday to check whether you are infected with the corona virus. The self-test is now the norm. Test streets will remain open, but a basic capacity applies. That is a minimum number of tests that must be possible. A GGD test remains possible for healthcare staff or vulnerable people. People can also have themselves tested if they need a proof of recovery.
The three GGDs in Brabant deal with this differently. For example, two regions are already scaling down, but the GGD Hart voor Brabant sees no reason for this yet. All three regions indicate that they mainly adapt the capacity to the test demand.
GGD Brabant-Southeast
The GGD in the south-east of our province has announced that it will move along with the test question, just as it has done in the past two years. Now that fewer people want and need to be tested, the GGD is scaling down. For example, the test location in Eersel is temporarily closed and the opening hours of the test locations in Helmond and Eindhoven have been adjusted. “Of course we will continue to keep a close eye on the test demand, in order to properly adjust our offer to this”, the GGD says.
With regard to the vaccination locations, nothing will change at the GGD Brabant-Zuidoost. It is not necessary to scale down there yet, because there are still plenty of people who come to get a corona jab.
It is not yet clear what the testing and vaccination capacity will look like in the autumn.
GGD Heart for Brabant
The test locations of the GGD Hart voor Brabant are not yet being scaled down. The same applies to the vaccination locations. “We adjust the opening hours to the demand of the citizens.”
The GGD in this region is still investigating what is needed to cope with a possible peak in the number of corona infections in the autumn. It is also being examined whether locations can be merged in the future.
GGD West Brabant
The GGD West-Brabant recently closed the test locations in Bergen op Zoom and Raamsdonksveer. There are now two test locations open, in Breda and Roosendaal. They will remain open for the time being. Here too, the GGD monitors how much demand there is for corona tests and adjusts the capacity accordingly.
The vaccination locations are not yet scaled down. The appointments continue to come in and the free walk-in for corona shots is also still well attended. The opening hours can be adjusted later on the basis of the number of requests. “We are now thinking about how we will cope with the further decline in the coming period and we hope to make a decision soon.”
The GGD in the west of our province cannot yet say much about testing and vaccination capacity in the autumn. “It takes time to work out a few scenarios and test them for feasibility. We hope to be able to do that in the short term.”
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