Deconfinement: tests, yes, but not just any

In its strategy to fight the coronavirus, the government wants medical laboratories to perform 700,000 screenings per week from May 11, the date of the start of deconfinement. Essentially, these should be virological tests, called “RT-PCR”. Serological tests are relegated to the background. These allow you to know if you have had coronavirus, but not, if necessary, if you are naturally protected.

In a notice issued on Saturday, the French National Authority for Health ruled out subjecting the entire population to these blood tests. Serological tests determine our level of antibodies to Sars-cov2. "To the question: am I protected from the virus? Current serological tests do not provide an answer. We cannot therefore advise them on screening for the general population ”, explains the President of the HAS, Professor Dominique Le Guludec.

VIDEO. Edouard Philippe: "700,000 virological tests per week from May 11"

This decision is based on a lack of knowledge of the Covid-19, which appeared only four months ago. “Even if patients who have already had the virus develop antibodies, it is not excluded that they will contract the disease again if they meet it again. It would likely be in a lessened form, but they could still be contagious. This is why there is no interest, for the moment, in carrying out serological tests, to know if one is protected from the disease ", develops Dr Cédric Carbonneil, head of the department of HAS assessment.

Possible misinterpretations

This unambiguous opinion reassures professionals. “We are satisfied to have this clear framework on how to behave. Our fear was to see a proliferation of non-validated serological tests, with interpretations that could be wrong. People would have believed themselves protected from the virus, probably wrongly, "said Dr. Lionel Berrand, president of the union of young biologists.

Serological tests are however recommended in certain cases, specifies the HAS, in particular to specify a diagnosis or to measure the level of the epidemic in a hospital or in a collective accommodation. “This gives us good indications. However, it remains to be seen which serological tests are specifically approved, and whether or not they will be reimbursed. If all goes well, we can suggest them for these indications in the coming days, ”explains a hospital pharmacist biologist.

"Will we have enough" RT-PCR virological tests?

This decision by the HAS puts RT-PCR virological tests at the forefront, which are capable of determining in a few hours, after samples from the nose with a swab, whether or not one is positive for Sars-Cov2. “We knew we were going to have to rely on them anyway. They are very reliable. But will we have enough? Asks Dr. Lionel Berrand. The considerable objective is to carry out 700,000 tests per week.

Consumption is indeed important. “We use a lot. If a patient is positive, he must take the test, and it is the same for all the contacts he may have had during the 48 hours preceding the onset of symptoms, ”adds Dr. Philippe Houdart. This general practitioner in the 18th arrondissement in Paris is one of the "brigades" of doctors and nurses who screen people at home.

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