Contact case, what to do?
We are or will be more and more numerous to ask ourselves this question.
Because the number of newly infected people continues to increase daily.
"The dynamics of the epidemic's progression is exponential," even warn the health authorities.
And the top of the State is no exception: Tuesday, Jean Castex was tested, three days after spending part of the afternoon in the company of Christian Prudhomme.
The reason?
The director of the Tour de France was diagnosed with the infection on Monday.
Finally negative but now in case of contact, the Prime Minister will not move from Matignon (where he also lives) in the coming days.
Here is the procedure to follow, according to the different cases.
Before the test (and its result)
I have no symptoms
There are two possibilities.
If you share the home of the infected person, you must get tested "immediately", says the Ministry of Health in its practical sheet devoted to this subject.
“Even if we do not have symptoms, if we share the home of a sick person, we must do a test right away,” says Health Insurance on its site.
If you live under a different roof from the sick person, the authorities recommend waiting "seven days after the last contact with the sick person" to get tested.
"It is useless to do it before because if it is carried out too early, it can be negative even if I am infected", justifies the Ministry of Health.
Indeed, "the incubation period [the period between infection and the appearance of possible symptoms] is generally less than 6 days, but sometimes it is a little longer," Professor François Bricaire told the Parisian. , former head of the infectious disease department of Pitié-Salpêtrière, Monday.
In any case, it is necessary to isolate oneself "until the result of the test".
If he had followed these rules scrupulously, Jean Castex could therefore have waited for next Saturday to be tested.
"He is regularly screened as part of the missions he carries out," we justify at Matignon, highlighting special security measures.
The Prime Minister has also indicated that he would retest on Saturday.
Until then, he has reorganized his schedule to avoid physical contact as much as possible.
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VIDEO. Castex case contact of Prudhomme: "I will immediately undergo a test"
I have symptoms
In this case, the procedure is simple: get tested "immediately" and, again, isolate yourself while waiting for the verdict to fall.
Once the result is known
I am positive
I have to "stay isolated until after I recover" and "watch my health".
Even without symptoms, "the confinement must last at least eight days", indicates the Health Insurance.
If you are unwell, you must isolate yourself until the "disappearance of the last symptoms, and at the earliest 48 hours after the disappearance of fever and breathing difficulties", adds the organization.
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Under the "trace, test, isolate" strategy, health insurance investigators will contact me to ask me who are the people I have met during the previous days.
Now in case of contact, they will in turn be called upon to follow this guide, and in particular to be tested.
I am negative
I must not relax my efforts, even if I have no symptoms.
If I live with the infected person, who may have infected me in the meantime, I have to “take another test seven days after the patient has recovered”.
If the result is negative again, "I remain isolated for another seven days by reducing the isolation measures", adds the Ministry of Health.
This means that I must always "limit my outings as much as possible", "not take public transport", not return to work in person, "not to have contact with vulnerable people, even when taking precautions", and "Continue to apply barrier gestures", lists the Health Insurance.
If I'm not living with the positive person, I'm “probably not infected,” the ministry notes.
However, I will have to "remain isolated until the 14th day" after the last contact with the patient.
Here too, I will be able to ease the restrictions.
In addition, this period of fourteen days, the famous "quatorzaine", could be lowered in the coming days.
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But be careful: if symptoms have appeared in the meantime, despite a first negative test, I must contact my doctor.
He may ask me to "continue my isolation".
