The Ministry of Health published its recommendations on December 8 to limit the transmission of Covid-19 during the holiday season. Limit the number of guests, ventilate the rooms and finally perform a test before meeting. Many French people intend to get tested before meeting with their family. Analytical laboratories and pharmacies are also faced with much greater demand than last year.
To help you, France Bleu takes stock: which test to perform according to your situation? When to do it Which test for children? What cost?
A test for whom?
As a preamble, the health authorities invite all people, vaccinated or not, to be tested in the hours preceding the holiday season. While vaccination is very effective in combating severe forms of Covid-19, it also makes it possible, to a lesser extent, to reduce the risk of being infected and of infecting loved ones. There is therefore always a risk of transmitting or catching the virus. despite the vaccine.
When to take your test
Health officials recommend getting tested as late as possible before a family reunion. Ideally, the same day via a self-test or the day before, or 24 hours before a deadline, with an antigen test, or even a PCR. If you have therefore planned to meet on the evening of December 24 to celebrate Christmas, it is therefore advisable to take your test on Thursday 23 or 24 in the morning. Ditto for New Year’s Eve, take the test on December 30 or the morning of 31.
The health authorities also indicate that a negative test is not synonymous with relaxation of barrier gestures (physical distancing, wearing a mask, ventilation, washing hands, etc.)
What types of test?
While there are several types of test, not all are equal in terms of effectiveness. It will also be necessary to take into account the time necessary to obtain the results.
The most reliable PCR test
This is the most “currently reliable“according to the High Authority for Health to detect the presence of the virus in an organism. The PCR test is the only one able to detect RNA and in particular to identify the variant thanks to sequencing.
It is also the only test recommended for symptoms that have lasted for at least five days and the only one accepted before surgery. The most common PCR tests are those carried out on a sample of the mucus in the nose, collected in the nasopharynx, this cavity located behind the nostril. They can also be made from a saliva sample (see below).
However, this is the longest test to get the results. These are obtained after laboratory analysis and are available generally in 24 hours and sometimes up to 72 hours. It is also the most expensive test when they are not supported. As a reminder, an unvaccinated adult without a prescription will have to pay 44 euros for a PCR test.
Finally, PCR tests are not available in pharmacies. There is therefore a risk of traffic jams in the laboratories during the holidays since demand is very high and the staff will also be on vacation.
The fastest antigen test
Unlike PCR tests, antigen tests are done directly in pharmacy and the result is obtained in 15 minutes. It is therefore the easiest screening method to access and the most effective to know if one is positive or not. Health authorities indicate that antigenic tests are recommended, like PCRs, for people who have been symptomatic for less than five days. Also recommended for people with contact and without symptoms.
On the other hand, antigenic tests are a little less reliable than PCR. According to the High Authority for Health, antigenic tests present a risk of false negative in one in five cases. In the event of a positive result, a PCR test must then be carried out to confirm it.
If you are an adult, unvaccinated and without a prescription, an antigen test in a pharmacy will cost you 22 euros. Otherwise it is free.
The self-test, the most practical for the holidays
Self-tests are part of the category of antigenic tests and the collection is therefore carried out by the user himself. You have to stick a swab in his nostril, but not as deep as for PCR or conventional antigens. It is therefore a nasal swab and not a nasopharyngeal swab. The result is obtained in less than ten minutes.
As the risks of handling error on the part of users are high, self-tests are considered to be the least reliable of the screening methods. This is why the health authorities recognize its reliability only when they are carried out repeatedly. The Ministry of Health has also put online a user manual for self-tests.
The self-tests are therefore recommended for people without symptoms, who are not in contact and who believe that they are not contaminated. This is why the self-tests are particularly advised by the Scientific Council before the family reunions of the end of year celebrations, qualified for “most useful gesture“, for the”less fragile, younger and more socially active“.
Nasal self-tests cost in average 5.20 euros the pharmacy unit and are not reimbursed by the Health Insurance, unless they are carried out under the supervision of a health professional and that you justify a complete vaccination schedule, as well as for minors and people with a contraindication vaccination.
The saliva test, ideal for children but not available in pharmacies
Mainly used in mass screening campaigns, saliva tests are used for elementary school students. Its use is therefore recommended for people who have no symptoms or for those who are in contact and for whom the nasopharyngeal swab is not recommended, such as children for example.
Slightly less reliable than the tests carried out in the nostrils, the saliva tests are then analyzed in the laboratory, like the PCR tests. The results are therefore obtained generally in 24 hours. On the other hand, they are not not available for purchase in pharmacies. In addition to the screening campaigns carried out in the school context, they are not achievable in laboratory.
Saliva tests are free on prescription or for minors. They cost 40 euros in other cases.