Concerns grow over tests for coronavirus

As Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday sought to emphasize the risks posed by the spread of the coronavirus and appealed to citizens to act responsibly, concerns were growing over whether there will be an adequate supply of reagents for the necessary laboratory tests to be conducted. 

In his second televised speech to the nation in a week, Mitsotakis echoed French President Emmanuel Macron by declaring that "we are at war." "The enemy is invisible but not invincible," he said. "If we curb the spread of the virus, we give the health system time to address urgent cases," he added, noting that "our first priority is to save lives." 

There are fears, however, about whether demand for testing for the virus can be matched by the supply of reagents. The long supply chain - starting in China and coming via factories in Germany - combined with the massive...