The French National Authority for Health (HAS) is in favor of reimbursing certain serological tests for the coronavirus, " with validated reliability ", in a notice published Wednesday, May 20.
Read also: LIVE - Coronavirus: this long weekend raises fears of influxes that may encourage a new outbreak of the epidemic
This opinion in favor of taking charge of Health Insurance concerns " serological tests of the ELISA and TDR type with reliability established by the CNR " (national reference center) and according to " indications defined " according to this opinion.
For the French National Authority for Health, these tests must be prescribed by a doctor in special cases, in particular symptomatic patients followed by city doctors or hospitalized, patients who have not been the subject of virological tests and to detect presence of antibodies in healthcare professionals and collective accommodation staff (nursing homes, prisons, etc.).
Serological tests can tell if someone has had Covid-19, by checking to see if they have developed antibodies. They are based on blood tests. They are distinguished from virological tests, or PCR, which allow to say that a patient is infected at the time when they are carried out.
These tests must be performed from the 7th day following the onset of symptoms for hospitalized patients and from the 14th day for patients without sign of severity, specifies the HAS.
See also - Virological or serological test? Jérôme Salomon explains the difference
