A massive campaign of free Covid tests will be offered to the eight million inhabitants of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region by the Christmas holidays, promises the LR president of the region Laurent Wauquiez on Monday, in an interview with several local newspapers .
A thousand sites across the region will be defined, in addition to buses deployed in rural areas, in order to allow 10,000 people to carry out this non-compulsory operation which should lead to two to four million tests over the period, specifies- he does.
In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, we are going to massively test our inhabitants before Christmas.
2 million tests already ordered, 1000 screening centers deployed.
Our goal: to stop the transmission of the virus and protect our seniors during the holidays.
pic.twitter.com/e4HmYp4CW9
- Laurent Wauquiez (@laurentwauquiez) November 16, 2020
This "huge logistics operation" should take place between December 16 and 23, says the president of the region, adding that a first order of two million tests has been placed.
“Slovakia did it, Austria, which has as many inhabitants as us, does it.
We decided to show that it was possible ”.
In this region particularly affected by the epidemic, this massive screening aims to "protect the elderly as much as possible by detecting as many contaminants as possible and to put a stop to the circulation of the virus", adds Laurent Wauquiez, judging that "the current screening campaigns are not large enough ”.
A majority of antigenic tests
The 1,000 screening sites, which remain to be determined, could be pharmacies, medical offices, but also high schools and multi-purpose rooms.
The region will mobilize liberal doctors, pharmacists, student nurses, firefighters and personnel from the Red Cross and Civil Protection for the operation.
The operation, carried out with the Regional Health Agency (ARS) and the CPAM will mostly use antigenic tests.
"There will also be PCRs and perhaps also other tests which are in the process of being labeled", continues Laurent Wauquiez, indicating that the cost of the operation had not yet been quantified.
READ ALSO>
Antigenic tests in pharmacies, instructions for use
Friday, the ARS of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes announced the deployment in the region of 552,000 rapid antigenic tests, distributed in the twelve departments, according to their demography and according to the epidemiological situation of the territory.
Newsletter - Most of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le Parisien
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
A peak of 7,000 hospitalizations was reached this weekend in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, the most affected region in the territory, which has forced the authorities to organize more than 100 transfers of patients to hospitals in other regions since the start of this second wave in October.