Don’t doubt the reliability of Lidl tests, supplier says

“In my opinion, you should not deny a citizen the right to test themselves in order to protect themselves, their environment and families,” Dr Bubik said.

“First of all, we supply these test kits throughout Europe. They are utilised in approximately one-third of all German schools, but also in Austria, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Slovenia, Poland, and many more.

“Since we currently offer the only fully CE-certified self-test in the EU we are very proud to be able to supply the whole of Europe.

"Only with the full certification process can the quality and reliability that end users expect and deserve be demonstrated.”

Professor Philip Nolan, chair of Nphet, last weekend criticised the discount supermarket chain for selling antigen tests and said these “will not keep you safe”.

In response to a tweet from the retailer, Professor Nolan also compared the Lidl antigen tests to “snake oil”, a euphemism for deceptive marketing.

Prof Nolan came in for criticism for this comment both nationally and internationally, with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly saying his remark was “not helpful”.

Dr Bubik said the “snake oil” comment about its fully certified Covid self-test was damaging to public health.

“I think that critical opinions to a certain degree is healthy and required in order to be objective,” he said.

"I would however see his response as a damage to the public health as it could unsettle people looking to test themselves as an additional precaution, which would epidemiologically speaking have been a positive effect.”

The chief medical officer, Tony Holohan, also said he was “very concerned” about the antigen tests being sold in Lidl and urged people not to buy them.

On May 7 Lidl began selling packs of five test kits for €24.99. These were available to buy in all of its 168 stores in Ireland. The kits later sold out.

Speaking at last Friday week’s Nphet briefing, Dr Holohan said he would not encourage people to use such home-testing kits, fearing these will “falsely reassure people”.

“I’m very concerned about these tests,” the chief medical officer said.

"People are generally confused about antigen tests, and we think it has a role to play in our response but in strictly controlled circumstances where we know it’s going to work and what the result could mean.

"Individuals could get inappropriate reassurance that they’re safe when they’re not.”

In response, Dr Bubik said any tool that can assist in detecting Covid should have its place.

“I can understand the critical point of view stating that you should not completely rely on one measure,” he said.

"But I trust the general population’s ability to understand this fact — I wonder why they don’t.

“Many measures in this pandemic are dependent on the participation of the public so adding a tool which everyone can decide for themselves if they want to use it or not should not be a bad thing.” 

He said Ireland was the only country whose chief medics had criticised the self-testing device.

“Most countries support the ‘more testing = better’ approach. Some of our biggest clients are governments who utilise the test kits in schools,” he said..

“I actually graduated as doctor in public health and health sciences.

"But nonetheless, apart from my views, our product is the only fully certified available product for self-testing.

"So the notified body confirms its quality.

“In my humble opinion we have a product that is proven to be simple to use, has a great accuracy and is available at an affordable price.

"In very test-focused countries like Austria or Germany it has become common practice to test yourself before meeting other people, in order to protect yourself and your family/the people around you.

"Until everyone is vaccinated, this is a great tool and grants some relief.”

The Lidl Ireland test kit is called ‘Xiamen Boson Biotech Co, Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test’ and is made by Boson, a Chinese biotech company.

Technomed is the European importer for Boson and partly responsible for the certification process and labelling of the product.

“The product has been CE-certified for self-testing by an approved European notified body,” said Dr Bubik.

"The product has been acknowledged by the European Commission as a reliable test. The product has been bought in a framework contract by the European Commission itself.

“The product has been validated, evaluated and in use for over nine months throughout Europe.

"No test will ever offer 100pc safety or reliability so it is not a discussion about numbers.

"It’s a discussion whether you can or want to protect your grandparents, children, your family before a much sought after visit after weeks of solitude.”

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