The change in the covid-19 surveillance strategy adopted last March has caused a drop in the sale of masks and, on the contrary, a considerable increase in the demand for antigen tests in pharmacies.Both the Official College of Pharmacists of the Balearic Islands and the Minorcan Pharmaceutical Cooperative (Cofarme) confirm this upward trend in sales.In figures, this increase translates into 3,300 antigen tests distributed per week, during the months of April and this first half of May, among the forty pharmacies associated with Cofarme, compared to around two thousand that were distributed weekly in March.Most are nasal antigen tests, saliva tests have less output, reports the cooperative of apothecaries.The tests arrive in Menorca without problems, there are no supply problems as happened at critical moments of the pandemic.Cofarme now has sufficient stocks, 6,700 rapid nasal antigen tests and 1,300 saliva tests.Regarding the weekly distribution of April and May, 3,000 tests were nasal and 300 saliva;Likewise, in March, nasal tests dominated, 1,800, compared to saliva tests, 250.The antigen tests that are purchased in pharmacies and carried out at home are not valid to obtain the certificate that certifies as negative in the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.Multiple factors influence this increase in demand.The vast majority of citizens buy them for their own peace of mind, as they have symptoms compatible with covid-19;due to individual responsibility, if they have to go to work or attend an event, and also because, as measures and restrictions have been relaxed, there are more and more parties, celebrations or events where there are crowds.Public health with the new monitoring system focuses only on the vulnerable population, serious cases and the elderly.The pharmacies, as reported this week by the Association, are waiting to sign an agreement with the Ministry of Health to carry out "professional tests", the result of which will serve to issue the European certificate that accredits the state of health of people and allows, if it is negative, move to other countries.Cofarme already has this type of test, although they are not yet for sale, and some pharmacies, which should adhere to the future agreement with Salud, have already shown an interest in having them and offering this service.The European Parliament supported this month extending the validity of the digital covid certificate to travel through the EU for another year.The system expires on June 30 and the European Parliament agreed to maintain it until the same date in 2023. In this way, people whose certificate obtained with the vaccine expires, since they have not received the additional dose, can only maintain the certificate proving that they are negative for SARS-CoV-2 through a diagnostic test.Hence the interest of the agreement with the pharmacies that would allow the adhered pharmacies to certify a negative test.In Menorca the vaccination rate is high, 91.5% of the population have two doses, but only 62% have the third.To comment it is necessary to be registered in Menorca - Es diariAçò that to travel outside of Spain it is mandatory to present a COVID certificate is a lie, according to the National Geographic of the month of May, there are 20 European countries that it is not possible to enter without a certificate and molts or even a caste cap testHehehe... Jo I haven't done 1 test yet since the pandemic started and I won't even do itIf with the covid normal life is made, they send you to work, without having to quarantine, everyone walks around and leads a normal life even without a mask etc etc, covid or flu A cold or allergy and it does not matter all the numbers of infections do not matter , one could say that they are willing to spend money .Better spend it on chimpanzee pox testing.What a good business.And VAT?21% for the state pot?