Pharmacists have been requesting it for many weeks. According to a decree published in the Official Journal, they have been authorized since Saturday to carry out rapid diagnostic orientation tests (TROD) which allow to know, in a few minutes, if antibodies have been produced against the new coronavirus.
"Exceptionally [...] community pharmacists [...] may perform rapid diagnostic orientation tests on capillary blood for the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2", indicates the text of the order, which is "applicable until October 30".
TROD serological tests consist of taking a drop of blood by pricking the skin, usually at the fingertip, and then putting it in contact with a reagent. The result appears in a few minutes. A positive TROD test means that you have been exposed to the virus and that you have developed (or are in the process of developing) an immune response.
The warning of medical biologists
Until now, they could only be performed by a medical analysis laboratory, in the city or in the hospital, and a list of 51 authorized tests of this type has been published by the Ministry of Health. Some detect only IgG antibodies (for immunoglobulins G), which are formed at least 14 days after being in contact with the virus, while others also indicate the presence of IgM (immunoglobulins M), produced earlier, which can be detected about a week after infection.
A positive result must be confirmed in a biological laboratory by a blood test and a laboratory examination in order to specify the reality of the immune response and, possibly, by a virological test (RT-PCR) to check if the virus is still present. in the body and therefore whether or not there is a risk of infecting other people.
The biologists' unions were strongly opposed to the marketing by pharmacists of the TROD tests. In a press release dated July 3, several organizations of biologists warned authorities and the general public about the difficulties of use and the complexity of interpreting the results of these serological tests.
