With regard to the current situation regarding the number of people infected with the coronavirus, the health insurance company Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna ČR is issuing a new measure enabling a new way of antigen and PCR testing. The novelty is a reduction of entitlement to antigen testing from the paid tests every three days originally. Now an insured client is entitled to one antigen test per week. VZP is currently also changing rules for PCR testing, to which people were previously only entitled with a prescription or they had to pay the PCR test themselves. An insured client may currently use two PCR tests per month, which are covered by public health insurance. People interested in testing will need to show their health insurance card or a substitute document. It is possible to undergo testing without a request from the doctor, based on getting an appointment directly at a specific collection point. A certificate about COVID- 19 testing will be issued after assessment. The list of collection points is published on the website of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Czech Republic: https://koronavirus.mzcr.cz/testovani/.

According to VZP general manager Zdeňek Kabátek, tests will be covered by insurance even for clients, who have had their first and second dose of vaccine already. If the client interested in testing uses up his entitlement to all four antigen tests and two PCR tests, which are covered by the insurance company, he needs to pay further tests himself. No notification has been issued by the ministry of healthcare yet, which ought to specify the price of the tests. The price of a PCR test is expected to reach approximately CZK 350 and the price of an antigen test CZK 200.