Elderly people may be able to get free tests for the novel coronavirus under a new government plan. The central government plans to subsidize up to half the cost of testing elderly people, and also people with chronic diseases, who wish to be tested by municipalities even if they have no fever or other symptoms. If municipalities shoulder the rest of the cost, the tests will be free.
The government plans to approve using the reserve fund as a financial resource at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Currently, tests are conducted only when there are symptoms, such as fever, that suggest infection, or when a person has had close contact with an infected person. In those cases, the co-payment is free.
On the other hand, people who wish to be tested simply because they feel uneasy about the spread of the virus in their area have to pay the full 7,500 yen cost of an antigen test or the 20,000 yen cost of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
The government plans to subsidize the costs for elderly people who wish to undergo the tests and will encourage municipalities to take measures of their own. By doing so, the government hopes to detect infections at an early stage and curb the increase in the number of patients with serious symptoms.
In addition, the government will use reserve funds to help medical institutions secure hospital beds and accommodations, and raise medical treatment fees for medical institutions accepting infected patients.
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