Retirement and nursing homes appropriate measures difficult and endanger the life of residents who have not been inoculated yet but might have become infected while not displaying symptoms. In a home in Styria a SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed in a woman by chance after she had been taken to hospital for out-patient treatment. All of the employees as well as the staff were immediately tested by the Red Cross. It was reported to Commission 3 that it took four days to analyse these PCR tests in a laboratory in Salzburg even though the nursing staff had been promised the results within 24 hours. The management of the home had to resort to rapid tests in the interim, of which there were not enough available and some of which produced false negatives. It gradually emerged that 35 out of 73 residents as well as 15 members of the care staff were infected. Twelve persons in need of care died of or with COVID-19 in the home within 14 days. The NPM requested the Minister of Health and the regional government of Styria for a statement of opinion on how a prioritisation of the analysis of PCR tests from care facilities can be implemented and which concrete steps are being taken to give these facilities the best possible care – in particular, in regions affected by a sharp increase in number of cases. If care facilities have to wait several days for laboratory results, the risk increases that the residents who are not infected cannot be physically separated from those who have been tested positive quickly enough. This also puts the staff at risk – and not least the entire care system. NPM demands faster analysis of PCR tests In a nursing home in Mürztal, 90% of the residents were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in November; 75% of the nursing staff were also infected or in quarantine (as 1st contact person). The Federal Army had to help out. In its statement of opinion, the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection pointed out that test capacity is reserved according to a prioritisation within the limits of the available overall capacity. In the event that there is a bottleneck due to increasing numbers of infections, it is incumbent on the Governor to define an alternative test sequence. Other suitable laboratories can be commissioned for these analyses if the available laboratory resources within the scope of the regional administration are not sufficient. The regional government of Styria requested an extension of the deadline meaning that the content was not clarified at the time of editing this report. X Mass testing of the staff in care facilities shall not be painful or cause other health complications. Priority shall be given to more tolerable test methods. X Prioritisation of the execution and analysis of PCR tests after suspected cases of infection in retirement and nursing homes (“first lane”) is urgently required. The necessary precautions shall be taken by the respective health authorities. 42