This was the reply of Minister of Health Paulette Lenert and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel to an urgent parliamentary question by MPs Martine Hansen (CSV) and Sven Clement (Pirate Party).
In their parliamentary question, Hansen and Clement referred to the recent decision of the USA’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to recall two types of tests produced by the Chinese manufacturer because it considered the likelihood of false results to be too high.
Luxembourg’s government has nevertheless decided to keep distributing the tests in the country’s schools. Recently, the Austrian government also decided to keep using the tests. In their reply, the ministers pointed out that the tests are authorised for use by the European authorities.
However, both Bettel and Lenert also stressed that should it turn out that the tests no longer meet the necessary criteria, they would indeed need to be recalled.
So far, the European authorities have not taken any steps to that end.
The exemption authorising non-professionals to carry out the tests remains valid until 15 September.
In total, the government has purchased three different types of tests in large quantities to avoid supply bottlenecks. In the event that the LEPU tests have to be recalled, schools would thus receive tests from other manufacturers.
