Fifteen minutes, not one more.
This is the time it takes for the BioSpeedia antigenic saliva test, developed in Saint-Etienne (Loire) in partnership with the CHU, to detect whether a person is positive or not for Covid-19.
This Monday, the day when schoolchildren in zone A are back to school and launching a vast screening campaign in schools, the Stéphanois college students of Honoré d'Urfé were the first in France to experiment with this express test.
In the room that usually serves as the public college CDI, transformed for the occasion, the stress is obvious.
"Is that a PCR test?"
I think it hurts, ”asks Arthur (the first name has been changed at the request of the establishment), very worried about being tested.
" No, I do not think so.
They take our saliva and that's it, ”replies his chair neighbor.
A nasal self-sampling to avoid pain
In reality, few students really knew what sauce they were going to be eaten.
Because in Saint-Etienne this Monday, it is not one but two Covid tests which the students had to undergo, on a voluntary basis.
A PCR test carried out in the laboratory requiring a simple saliva sample, as planned by the Ministry of National Education, and the BioSpeedia test which requires both a saliva and nasal sample.
"Go ahead, clear your throat well, three times, then salivate in the tube" repeated the caregiver to each child.
Once this first step had been taken, the student tested was then asked to perform a nasal self-sampling using a swab.
“You have to twist the swab ten times in your nostril.
You see, it doesn't hurt, ”insisted the nurse to the less reassured students.
The swab was then placed in the tube already containing the saliva and a few drops of a chemical solution.
Before delivering his verdict fifteen minutes later.
“What if it's positive?
A student worried.
“Well, you're going home,” his friend replied.
VIDEO. How does the saliva test that will be deployed in schools work?
“The instructions for use are quite similar to those for a pregnancy test.
You have a small cassette in which you insert your swab, ”explains Julien Tizot, CEO of BioSpeedia, present at a screening site in downtown Saint-Etienne.
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Because in parallel with the national campaign conducted in schools, the Saint-Etienne municipality is organizing its own screening campaign throughout this week among its population.
Twelve sites have been set up across the city.
Same principle as for schoolchildren: each inhabitant is invited to experiment, by appointment, the BioSpeedia antigen test, combined with a PCR test in the laboratory.
The City of Saint-Etienne, which has done things in a big way, has also put into circulation a Covid test bus that will crisscross the neighborhoods all this week.
"People will soon be able to self-test at home"
Biotech is playing big.
Because if the results of this experimental screening campaign conducted in Saint-Etienne are conclusive, BioSpeedia could very quickly market its test on a larger scale.
“We are sure of its effectiveness since it shows results above 90%.
And this campaign will allow us to demonstrate it ”, assures Julien Tizot.
The latter is already looking ahead: “We can imagine that people will soon be able to test themselves at home, without having recourse to nursing staff.
This will further limit the circulation of the virus.
"
