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Covid-19: serological tests, a major issue in breaking out of containment

2020-04-03T05:57:27.757Z


These blood tests will soon let you know if you have been affected by the coronavirus, even without knowing it. And to assess the share of


France has long fought the coronavirus in the dark, because of tests available in starvation numbers. She will try to be better enlightened when leaving containment. But beware, these are not "PCR" tests, the Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon, announced this Thursday, April 2, that they had confirmed 59,105 cases of coronavirus in France. These PCR tests, used in hospitals and in certain laboratories in the city, are used to find out if a person is suffering from Covid-19 at time T. To carry them out, a swab is placed in the patient's nose to collect secretions. Results fall within hours.

To establish the deconfinement measures, serological tests will be used. They are used to determine whether a person has protective immunity against the disease, which is the case if they have had coronavirus, even without reporting symptoms. These tests are performed with a blood sample. Objective: detect antibodies, a sign that the person has been in contact with the virus. The Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced at the end of March the purchase of 5 million tests in the coming months.

The Directorate General of Health (DGS) tells us that the 5 million rapid tests announced are indeed serological tests, citing a capacity of "100,000 tests per day in June" and an "order already placed" then even that the scientific validation process is still underway.

"The only tool to measure the impact of infection"

The medical community is also impatiently awaiting their arrival on the market. “Serological tests are the only tool we know to measure the impact of infection in the population, since our healthcare systems have only received the most sick people, explains Professor Astrid Vabret, head of the service virology of the Caen CHU (Calvados). Those who are immune will be protected for a time that we do not know: it can be a few months, two years or five years and it will probably vary depending on the person. "The serological tests will make it possible to determine a group immunity," she explains. One can imagine that if half the population is immunized, there will no longer be a massive epidemic. "

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As with masks, France has launched itself into the world battle for the purchase of tests. Reliable, preferably, while Spain had to abandon the use of faulty Chinese kits. "It is not easy to develop quality tests," notes Astrid Vabret. They need to detect specific antibodies, not a neighboring coronavirus. Quite a few manufacturers offer tests with fairly hasty validation. "

A Breton SME holds the rope

It is this sorting that the health authorities are carrying out. “Serological tests are a subject that will occupy us in the weeks to come. We will be able to increase very strongly in power. […] We want to check that they work well, whether they are French or foreign, ”said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on TF 1 on Thursday 2 April.

In France, the Breton SME NG Biotech holds the rope. She announced Tuesday the launch of the first rapid diagnostic designed and manufactured in France. A box that looks like a pregnancy test and works by collecting a drop of blood on a strip, with a reading after 15 minutes.

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"In the immediate future, these tests will be very useful in detecting people who are not confined, more particularly nursing staff," explains Dr Thierry Naas, co-director of the National Reference Center for Antibiotic Resistance, who participated in validation of the test, carried out by several Ile-de-France hospital services. Then, at the time of deconfinement, this will make it possible to test the population and to have a good idea of ​​seroprevalence ", that is to say the share of the immune population.

A long process of deconfinement

The State has, according to our information, a first order of several tens of thousands of tests from NG Biotech, at a unit price of 10 to 15 euros. By July, the Breton company plans to be able to produce 2 million boxes per month, giving priority to the French market. These rapid tests, like those that France can buy from other suppliers, will be supplemented by more conventional tests in the laboratory, after a blood test. Several of them are being evaluated and have the merit of allowing the analysis of 96 samples simultaneously as well as measuring the antibody assay.

Once representative data has been collected, it will remain for the political authorities to adapt their policy. "If collective immunity is not enough, the State can put in place a strategy to protect people at risk," concludes Thierry Naas. This can include asking the elderly or comorbidities to wear the mask until the day a vaccine is available. The deconfinement will be much longer than we would like it to be… ”

Source: leparis

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