How useful will the self-tests be, available from Monday in pharmacies?

A new weapon in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. The Covid-19 self-tests will be available in 6,000 pharmacies as of Monday. Intended for asymptomatic people over the age of 15, they will be gradually deployed in all pharmacies. Less invasive and unpleasant than deep nasopharyngeal tests, they consist of a nasal sample with a swab to be pushed 2 to 3 centimeters into the nostril which must then be dipped in a reagent. The result is delivered in fifteen to twenty minutes. Any positive self-test must then be confirmed by a PCR test.

The self-tests will be delivered free of charge, upon proof, to home-based employees working with elderly or disabled people, as well as to family caregivers accompanying these people at a rate of two per week, indicates the Ministry of Health on its report. site. Individuals will also be able to purchase them at a price capped at 6 euros, then at 5.20 euros from May 15.

“I am thinking of using some before seeing my friends”

According to Dr Jérôme Marty, president of UFML (Union of the French Union for Free Medicine), interviewed by 20 minutes, these self-tests represent “a big step forward in the fight against the epidemic, provided that people get hold of it.” Moreover, the countries which are doing the best in the fight against Covid-19 use them ”. For its part, the Ministry of Health sees them as “an instrument of self-monitoring”. In addition to the fact that they will serve as a shield for the spread of the coronavirus for home employees, they will be useful to individuals. “We can use it before going to a family lunch, to the cinema or to the office. It will be a protection tool for the group. In the event of a positive result, the person will isolate himself and the fire will be extinguished very early, ”explains Dr Jérôme Marty.

In fact, some of our readers are already planning to use it, like David: “Yes, I will. No need to go to the pharmacy or the analysis lab where everyone is crowded in endless queues. A feverish state? A family meal to come? The self-test will be the essential tool for more peace of mind. As we use a breathalyzer for driving ”. Ditto for Corinne, who answered our call for witnesses: “I think I will use some before seeing my friends and going for hikes with my club. It is an additional security and I do not understand the French delay concerning these tests. Of course, in case of positivity, I will be checked by PCR, because I know that their reliability is not 100% and I will isolate myself ”.

Soon in establishments

Another advantage of these tests: they can affect populations that are not currently being sufficiently tested. “Like people who live in rural areas or in certain suburbs and who do not have access to a screening center”, continues Dr Jérôme Marty. And according to him, “these tests could be useful for several months, the time that the population is massively vaccinated”.

These self-tests could also be useful when schools reopen, in order to limit the spread of the virus. They “will be quickly made available in schools,” said Olivier Véran, in an interview with Sunday newspaper. If these tests can be offered to all teachers, they will only be offered to students over 15 years old, according to the recommendation of the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS). And the Minister of Health even mentions the possibility “of going up to two tests per week per student and per teacher”. As long as they are voluntary to perform them …

“I absolutely do not see the point”

Still, questions arise about their reliability, which is lower than that of PCR and antigen tests on nasopharyngeal samples. According to the first data analyzed by the HAS, these tests have clinical sensitivities in the order of 80 to 95% in symptomatic patients and 50 to 60% in asymptomatic people. “This is why these tests must be used iteratively (once or twice a week), because it is the repetition that will ensure the reliability of the result”, estimates Dr Jérôme Marty.

Some French people could also be reluctant to use them, even if pharmacists will give them instructions for use. This is the case of Pascale, who answered our call for witnesses: “It does not seem so easy to do, it makes you be careful not to hurt yourself by putting it in the nose”. Same skepticism with Serge: “Paying for a less reliable and inevitably less well done test (unable to tickle my pharynx for 10 seconds alone), I absolutely do not see the point”.

A financial brake?

Another question mark: will not the fact that these tests pay for individuals dissuade them from buying them? This is the case of Martine, one of our readers: “Although I am in favor, I do not intend to use them, because with my little retirement I am counting the pennies to be able to buy myself pasta. ! And 5 or 6 euros represent my food for half a week! “. “The ideal would have been to offer them for one euro and for them to be sold in supermarkets, as in many other countries. This would allow them to be more widely distributed, ”comments Jérôme Marty.

Finally, the interest of these self-tests also depends on the attitude that their users will have in the event of a positive result. “They have to play the game by doing a PCR test behind and warning those around them. Even if there will always be people who do not respect the instructions, we can imagine that they will be in the minority because the very fact of self-testing indicates a certain sense of responsibility ”, estimates Dr Jérôme Marty.