While home COVID testing kits are readily available in Malta if you know where to look for them, rules and guidelines on their use and reporting obligations have yet to be made clear by the health authorities.

In a television appearance last week, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that self-testing kits would soon be made legal and available on the local market.

However, to date, no rules nor legal notices specifying their regulation have been made public. The health authority’s guidelines for rapid antigen testing still list self-testing devices as prohibited.

On Friday, Times of Malta looked to purchase self-testing kits locally and found success in some mini markets.

When asked if they had self-testing kits available, the first vendor turned to retrieve a box on a shelf behind her and produced the components required for a single test packaged in a clear ziplock baggie, giving the experience a tinge of illicitness to it.

“Do you happen to have your phone on you?” she said as she explained how the test should be used.

“Take a picture of the instructions, but if you forget you can always Google it.”

The second location, a mini market in another locality, was even less discreet about selling the tests, having set them up in a display branded for beef jerky products and tacked onto the clear plastic barrier between the cashier and customers.

“They’re right in front of you sweetheart,” the cashier said with a laugh when asked where they were. She reached for a test kit to hand it over.

This one came packaged still heat sealed in the manufacturer’s original branding, however, no additional advice on its use was offered at this establishment.

Both tests cost €10 and both had CE marking on the packaging, meaning they are certified as conforming with the health, safety and environmental protection standards to be sold in the European Economic Area.

Home kits can be bought from several supermarkets around Europe. In the Netherlands, for example, a COVID kit can be bought from Lidl for €1.99.

According to the current legal notice regulating point-of-care COVID-19 testing, this must be carried out at a designated premises as authorised by the health authorities, by a healthcare professional or by a healthcare worker under the direct supervision of a healthcare professional. Photo: Shutterstock

Both brands of test were also found on the common list of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests as agreed upon by the European Commission’s Health Security Committee.

The situation was different in pharmacies, however – all five that we visited were unable to sell home tests despite sometimes having them on hand.

“To be honest with you, we do have them in stock,” one attendant said when queried about purchasing a test.

“But we haven’t received any guidelines about them, so we won’t be selling them for the time being.

“I think we should have them next week,” said another. “Call us ahead and we’ll let you know either way.”

According to the current legal notice regulating point-of-care COVID-19 testing, this must be carried out at a designated premises as authorised by the health authorities, by a healthcare professional or by a healthcare worker under the direct supervison of a healthcare professional. The testing must also comply with reporting obligations.

An online portal for submitting test results operated by the government does exist, but this is only for use by healthcare professionals.