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"It tickles a little": in high school, the (difficult) start of the Covid self-tests

2021-05-21T04:37:36.097Z


The self-tests are coming this week in high schools. Their ease of use should make them the key government mechanism in the


“It's not painful, nothing to do with PCR tests, but it tickles a bit and it still brings tears up!

Keylan, 17, rubs one eye, shakes his head to come to his senses.

The high school student, an apprentice truck driver, has just sank three centimeters of swab into

each nostril. This Tuesday afternoon, it's self-test session at the Delambre-Montaigne high school in Amiens. There are about forty volunteers, adults or with the authorization of their parents, to parade in the hall of the boarding school of the establishment - which welcomes a thousand teenagers - to benefit from this self-administered Covid-19 screening, under supervision of two school nurses.

The government's “fatal weapon” to contain the epidemic in high schools had been programmed on May 10 by the National Education, but is in fact only deployed this week for students - and again, not everywhere, confide school leaders.

Two million kits have also been sent to teachers in recent weeks.

At the ministry, we recall "the enormous logistics" of the device, presented as "progressive", which provides for two tests per week for teachers, one for each high school student.

VIDEO.

Covid-19: self-tests, how do they work?

In May and June, 60 million kits will be distributed, promised Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer.

"The equipment arrives in dispersed order, only since this week", squeaks for his part Philippe Vincent, general secretary of Snpden-Unsa, union of principals, who fears "a flop" of the operation.

So, at the Lycée Delambre-Montaigne, we had to organize ourselves urgently.

"I received 900 kits on Wednesday, I informed the students by email, then there was awareness raising in the classes on Monday, by the nurses, with a tutorial", explains Patrice Pertin, the principal.

"We deconfine so I want to take advantage of it"

“I volunteered, because I want to be fixed. I don't have a fever, but we know that young people are sometimes asymptomatic. I don't want to infect my mother who has health concerns, ”explains Corentin, in terminal. Same story with Keylan. “Tomorrow

(Editor's note: Wednesday, May 19)

we deconfine bars, restaurants, cinemas ... in short, everything that we have been missing for months. I intend to take advantage of it, so I wanted to do this test. It's a sesame, ”continues the young man. Same story on the table next door, where Baptiste emphasizes the free availability of the kits in high school: “In pharmacies, they are sold at 30 euros for a box of five. It's expensive, we don't have all the means if we want to get tested regularly. "

Read also Anti-Covid self-tests: is there a risk that positive cases will vanish in nature?

By cohort of ten students, the procedure is punctuated by Isabelle and Nadia, the two nurses.

“Disinfect your hands, open the bag, put the reagent in front of you.

We tilt our head back, lower the mask… and introduce the stick.

Twist several times in the nostrils, ”proclaims Isabelle.

The swab is then immersed in the product, then the teenagers start the timer on their phone: 15 minutes of waiting before the verdict, which is announced, if it is positive, by a blue line.

“No contaminated this time,” Nadia blows.

Objective: 600,000 per week

On the staff side, the ministry promised 1,700 “mediators” to support screening, and notified volunteer teachers that they could participate.

"Our teachers are monopolized by the arrival of exams," says Patrice Pertin.

A mediator is being recruited, because our nurses already have their usual tasks.

"

What results from the first self-tests?

"Too early", answers the ministry, which will give figures this Friday.

The expected rate is 600,000 per week.

For what acceptability?

"Here, we are at about 20%", estimates Raphaël Muller, the rector of the Amiens academy.

Barely more than the PCR tests… Philippe Vincent, for his part, mentions a rate “between 5% and 10%”.

The rector remains optimistic: “We have just started, we must now encourage families.

"

Source: leparis

All life articles on 2021-05-21

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