Weinheim, 6 July 2021. To detect COVID-19 infections as quickly and reliably as possible, schools and nurseries in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) have received a total of 250,000 so-called lollipop tests. Schubert Medizinprodukte sourced these PCR pool tests, which are particularly easy to use and very safe, and had them distributed by trans-o-flex Express to schools and nurseries as time-definite consignments.

The trading company for medical products and doctors’ supplies had received the order to purchase the various items of the special tests (such as tubes, sticks, swabs, etc.), to prepare ready-to-use test kits, consign and distribute the kits in the weekly quantities used by the schools. Schubert uses trans-o-flex Express exclusively for deliveries to schools and nurseries in NRW. The logistics specialist for pharmaceuticals and other sensitive goods collects the packages with PCR tests from Schubert’s Bavarian site in Wackersdorf and then delivers them as scheduled express deliveries. The consignments were always delivered on Wednesdays or Thursdays before 10 or 12 noon with the required quantities for the coming week. A total of 250,000 test kits were distributed in 5,600 packages between the end of April and the end of June.

“We have been working successfully with trans-o-flex throughout Germany for years and particularly appreciate the extremely reliable and punctual delivery of sensitive products,” says Dr Christian Hilgarth, Sales Manager at Schubert Medizinprodukte. “Due to the high delivery performance and the flexibility in operational handling, we decided to partner with trans-o-flex for this major order as well.”

For trans-o-flex CEO Wolfgang P. Albeck, the special order underlines the particular importance and responsibility of the company in the pandemic: “Due to our experience and efficiency, especially in the transport of pharmaceutical products, we are the first choice for more and more companies and public clients when it comes to delivering medical or other sensitive products nationwide.” We are pleased that we can make a further contribution to the return to normality in everyday school life by delivering to schools and nurseries in NRW.”

How the tests work without a nasal or throat swab
No nasal or throat swab is required for the special PCR pool tests (lollipop tests). Instead, the children suck on a swab twice in succession for 30 seconds each – like on a lollipop. The first swab goes into a large container (pool) together with the lollipops of other children. The second swab goes into a retest tube, which is labelled with the child’s name. If the entire pool is negative, then everything is fine. If the pool is positive, all children must self-isolate. The individual samples are then retested to find out which children are actually infected and have to stay at home until they are no longer a risk of infection.