To perform a Covid-19 screening test in France, you should go to a laboratory or a pharmacy. The result is delivered in about 15 minutes if it is an antigen test and in several hours or even several days if it is a PCR test. Other countries have recently validated another screening method: self-testing for antigens.
This is the case in Germany, where the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) has authorized four antigenic self-tests for use at home. These products went on sale this Saturday March 6 at Aldi and Lidl.
Self-tests already out of stock in Germany
The sale of these self-tests in supermarkets created emulation. Aldi, which offered a package of five tests per person for 24.99 euros, ran out of stock within hours. For its part, Lidl has made available to its customers packages of five tests for 21.99 euros. But due to too many connections, the channel's site quickly became saturated. A spokesperson for Aldi nevertheless assured that a restocking was planned in the coming days.
These test kits consist of a swab and a tube containing a reagent. The swab should be rotated five times in the nasal cavity, inserted into the tube and waited for about 15 minutes for a result. These tests are presented as less painful because it is not necessary to take the sample in the nasopharynx: it is sufficient to insert the swab "about an inch deep", can be read in the manual for the Aesku self-test, sold by Aldi in Germany.
To speed up the massive screening strategy, every German will also be entitled to one free antigen test per week.
Self-testing for Covid-19: soon available in France?
Could these Covid-19 self-tests be authorized in France? The High Authority for Health (HAS) is looking into the issue. "Yes, France will go there. The question is how and with what tests", revealed to JDD Cédric Carbonneil, head of the professional acts assessment service at HAS.
A meeting on the subject should take place in the week and the opinion of the Haute Autorité de santé concerning the use of these self-tests in France is expected in March, according to the JDD.
Read also :
⋙ Self-tests and Covid-19: how do they work and when will they be available in France?
⋙ Coronavirus: why the High Authority for Health opposes the use of self-tests
⋙ Covid-19 test: a new completely painless screening method used abroad will land in France