Until now, only PCR tests were allowed to travel abroad.
Now, antigen tests are also often accepted.
Their principle?
Like their PCR cousins, antigens are collected by swabs from the nostrils.
With two major differences: a result generally available in less than 30 minutes, and a test that can be performed at a pharmacy.
Zoom on the tourist destinations which accept them.
Read also: Travel to Europe: how much do PCR tests cost in different countries?
Which countries accept antigen testing?
Since June 7,
Spain
and
Portugal
have announced that they will allow negative French antigen tests of less than 48 hours to enter their territories. Followed: the
Slovenia
, the
Luxembourg
, the
Italy
,
the
Turkey,
the
Poland,
the
Bulgaria
, the
Austria
, the
Croatia,
the
Germany
and
Lithuania
. Ditto for
Greece
, where in addition to the antigenic test of less than 48 hours, it will be necessary to complete the PLF document online, at the latest the day before arrival. the
Sweden
admits travelers with a negative antigen test of less than 72 hours, the same duration as for a PCR.
All of these countries are also open to tourists with a PCR test of less than 72 hours, a certificate justifying a complete vaccination against Covid-19 for at least 14 days or a certificate of recovery, valid 180 days after the 1st positive diagnostic test.
Self-tests (to be performed yourself), available in pharmacies, are not accepted.
To find out where antigenic tests and PCRs are carried out in France, visit the sante.fr website.
Read also: Covid-19 and travel: health pass, vaccine, PCR test ... Where can the French travel this summer?
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A little less reliable tests
This device allows a new wind of freedom. However, with a small shadow on the table: antigenic tests are not as reliable as PCRs, because they are less sensitive. The difference between the two? Conventional PCRs look for the genome of the virus when antigen tests look for, as the name suggests, the antigen present on the surface of the virus. Thus, if there are too few proteins present, the signal may be very weak or even zero. The proportion of false negatives is therefore likely to be higher with antigenic tests.
What about their effectiveness in detecting variants? Same conclusion. Antigens are somewhat less reliable than PCRs.
"However, they detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus as much as its variants"
, indicates a member of the Haute Autorité de Santé.
"Simply, to have the sequencing of the virus, and therefore to distinguish the variants, it will be necessary to carry out a PCR in a second step" he
adds. Which is anyway prescribed by the health authorities after any positive test.