- Quote: ‘You feel like a criminal. I saw a man who had been taken off somewhere – they were not happy with his COVID-19 PCR test certificate’.
By Andrew Atkinson Leader Exclusive
The huge cost of the COVID-19 PCR fit certificate ranging up to £150 – a certificate of a negative PCR test – has lead to fake documentation being printed in a bid to beat the system the Leader has been informed.
The PCR test certificate is to be undertaken within 72 hours of arriving in Spain.
The Leader has obtained exclusive information about the COVID-19 PCR test scam, gathered from our source who will remain anonymous, after flights from Alicante-Elche airport to the UK.
“My last flight from Luton to Alicante had 20 passengers on board. Ryanair had cancelled some flights, to get a full flight booked.
“My flight from Alicante to Luton was full. I was booked on a flight on November 22 and some people I spoke to were booked on the 8th.
“Both got cancelled and it seems everyone went on the December 1 flight.
“Regarding protocol, you’re in a queue for a very long time. Local police and medical staff, when I went through, were checking certificates very closely.
“You feel like a criminal. I saw a man who had been taken off somewhere – they were not happy with his COVID-19 PCR test certificate.”
The Leader has also been informed that at Madrid airport local police have been notified of scammers using false documentation, citing the COVID-19 PCR test certificate.
Passengers flying to and from the UK to Spain also need a public health form to receive a QR code, to produce to officials upon arriving in Spain, along with the COVID-19 PCR test certificate.
Our source added: “The UK are now checking QR codes, as previously you could just walk off the plane to customs and depart the airport.
“Now it is swarming with custom officers and police at Luton – checking everyones QR code.
“I can tell you that quite a few people did not fill the information out. They were told to stand to one side. I don’t know what happened to them as I departed.
“I’ve been travelling all through the COVID-19 pandemic, if not to Alicante it was driving to Madrid, to fly to the UK.
“I think Spain is very thorough, as they also undertake computer temperature checks. Previously in the UK that wasn’t the case, until now.”
Home testing kits for Covid-19 are scheduled to be available at pharmacies throughout Spain for €25.50.
A PCR test costs €95-€150, only available at a private clinic for those who do not have symptoms and have not been near someone positive.
PrimaCovid tests for the antibodies IgG and IgM, showing whether the person has the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or ever carried it.
Results appear within 15 to 20 minutes and it is carried out at home, by pricking a finger and taking a drop of blood.
Spain’s Ministry of Health says that as it has been approved by the European Union, it does not have to be signed off by the national drugs authority, the Spanish Medications and Healthcare Products Agency (AEMPS).
Medication bearing the ‘CE’ kitemark, approved by the EU, can be sold in pharmacies, the Ministry says.
The AEMPS requested complementary information about PrimaCovid from its manufacturers in Switzerland, in order to review it, being standard procedure.
Health Minister Salvador Illa stressed that an antibody test has limited use from a diagnostic point of view, and is mainly suitable for those who need to prove they are negative.
The distribution company in Spain, ELIX Pharma, expects it to be on sale between December 10-15, with around half a million delivered during the next three months.
Managing director Fernando Díez said the recommended retail price is €25.50.
