rural areas in difficulty faced with strong demand for screening

Rural areas are not immune to the rise in positive cases, and the resulting contact cases. In Saint-Viaud (Loire Atlantique), there is only one pharmacy and some locals have to wait several days before having a window for an antigen test. However, contact cases are increasing in the small town.

Pharmacy staff have been overwhelmed since the start of the week. “All day long, we are invaded by phone calls, we can no longer manage. More people who show up spontaneously (…) we have a small team of three people so I am quickly overwhelmed “, laments Véronique Gautier, one of the pharmacists. Some towns like Dreffeac (Loire Atlantique), are not even lucky enough to have a pharmacy. Yet the demand for testing is skyrocketing, as is the incidence rate, which has doubled in a matter of days. The rural elected officials of the department called on the health authorities, imploring screenings on sites.