France will resort for the first time, perhaps before Christmas, to massive screening of Covid-19 in the population, a “
big game fishing
” already used in other countries and claimed by some of the experts.
But questions remain, especially to prevent positive cases from getting lost in nature.
"
The idea is to say: we are going to try on an urban area to test massively, to better understand this disease, what are the neighborhoods (...), the populations, (...) the places of life most concerned,
”Prime Minister Jean Castex explained on RMC-BFMTV on Wednesday, citing as an example operations of this type carried out in Slovakia and in the English city of Liverpool.
He mentioned three areas of "
experimentation
"- the North, Normandy and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - by favoring areas where there is"
a fair amount of population
".
"
We will try
" before the holidays, he added, warning that the operation would be "
on a voluntary basis
".
Read also: Covid-19: the opening of shops should not restart the epidemic
“
Finally, the authorities saw the light.
What a waste of time
, ”responded epidemiologist Catherine Hill, who has been defending this strategy for months and is one of ten scientists who recently wrote a note to this effect.
In this document, sent to the Elysee Palace, they recommend no less than national screening, i.e. 60 million people in two weeks, starting with a pilot experiment in the European metropolis of Lille.
For his part, the LR president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Laurent Wauquiez, had promised a massive campaign in mid-November for its 8 million inhabitants the week before Christmas.
"
An announcement effect
" without consultation, lamented the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran.
Photography
The idea is simple: beyond a more real picture of the circulation of the virus, quickly and massively testing in a given territory would make it possible to miss far fewer positive cases than at present.
“
The virus does not circulate only through sick people but through people who do not know they are contagious.
We must therefore find them.
This can only be done by testing everyone
, ”says Catherine Hill.
"
Massive tests have an educational value and make it possible to know exactly what is happening at instant 0 and to prepare for the future
", adds Philippe Froguel, professor at the University Hospital of Lille and signatory of the note at the Elysée .
"
It's big game fishing, a complete screening
," recently summed up a source at the Ministry of Health.
Read also: Covid-19: a screening center dedicated to children
But for other scientists, it is not a panacea.
"
The idea is very attractive but it has a limit: in asymptomatic people, there is a window of two or three days when the virus is not detected (...) We cannot detect all the infected cases
" , had explained on November 20 in an interview with the World the president of the Scientific Council, which guides the choices of the government, the immunologist Jean-François Delfraissy.
“
Testing an entire country is an enormous operation, a considerable mobilization of human resources
” that would have to be renewed “
almost every two weeks
” to be effective, he added, recommending an experiment in “
one or two large cities. French
”.
The track towards which the government seems to be moving.
What isolation?
Jean Castex's announcement leaves other questions unanswered.
First, which method to use?
In the absence of authorization by the High Authority for Health (HAS) of tests by saliva sample for asymptomatic people, rapid antigenic tests, by nasopharyngeal sample, would remain.
"
It will be much more complicated, because it takes suitable personnel and the sample is unpleasant,
" explains Catherine Hill, who strongly regrets the position of the HAS.
Once such an operation has taken place, its effectiveness will also depend on the effective isolation of the positive cases, until they are no longer contagious.
Otherwise, "
it is useless
", agreed Jean Castex.
As well as too long delays for the test results, the isolation strategy was one of the weak points after the first containment.
Read also: Covid-19: is it really possible to force positive people to isolate themselves?
Since then, many voices have been calling for more personalized support, with possible financial aid and the use of hotels, while a debate has arisen in the political class on possible sanctions. The government wants a debate to take place first in Parliament on the subject, but Jean Castex explained on BFM-TV that "
the obligation and the sanction will not necessarily be useful
" if "
a reinforced support and a more pedagogy strong
”suffice.