Firefighters, rescuers, nursing aides, health students ... All are now authorized to take samples to test for Covid-19, in order to compensate for the lack of arms in the laboratories, according to a decree published on Saturday in the Official Journal.
Another important point, this decree provides that the tests, which cost 54 euros, will be fully covered by Health Insurance. And this, even without a prescription.
The decree also ratifies the free distribution of masks to the most vulnerable French people, a measure announced by the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, on Wednesday (40 million masks distributed to the 7 million French people benefiting from the complementary health and solidarity, of the assistance with the payment of supplementary health and state medical aid).
Lack of arms and high demand
For the tests, the decree specifies that state-certified nurses, students in odontology, maieutics and pharmacy, nursing aides, firefighters, marine firefighters and first aiders from approved civil security associations holders of adequate first aid training will be able to take a biological sample.
The government has already extended the possibility of taking samples, initially reserved for medical biologists only, to 40,000 laboratory technicians.
These are PCR virological tests for which the waiting times are now too long in many areas, particularly in Ile-de-France, where the lack of personnel and the high demand are leading to near saturation. A problem that could be accentuated as France has just strengthened its screening system, by making mandatory tests at airports for travelers from 16 countries classified as “red”.