Since April 12, a new Covid-19 screening device has been available in pharmacies: self-tests. They consist of a nasal sample taken using a swab that should be introduced into the nostril vertically, along the bridge of the nose, over 2 to 3 cm.
This “useful supplement” tools to detect the coronavirus, in the words of Minister of Health Olivier Véran, will also be deployed in schools from the start of the school year, Monday April 26. A novelty that raises many questions. Update on the questions we ask ourselves about self-tests.
How many self-tests will be distributed to schools?
64 million. This is the number of self-tests that have been requested by the government for schools. “We have placed the first massive orders”, said Prime Minister Jean Castex during his press conference on Thursday, April 22. “The self-tests will be distributed in the 60,000 school structures from next week”, added the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer in an interview with Today in France this Friday April 23.
Who will be able to benefit from the self-tests at school?
The self-tests are reserved for people over 15 years old. However, the pupils concerned will not be able to benefit from it from the start of the school year. “They will initially be intended for adults in primary schools (…) Then, from May 3 and the start of the school year in secondary school, these are also the adults who will begin to be concerned”, said Jean-Michel Blanquer.
High school students will be able to access the self-tests from May 10. As for elementary school students, 400,000 saliva tests will be offered to them at the start of the school year.
Self-tests: how will the students be trained to carry them out?
If the performance of the self-tests is described as “simple” by the Minister of National Education, students must still be trained. “We cannot leave them to fend for themselves at home. They must be accompanied, the teachers will be trained to supervise these tests”, explained a member of the executive on France Inter April 21.
A decision that worries some teachers, “but that’s the only solution, we don’t have enough school nurses to do that, and we’re not going to create 500,000 jobs tomorrow”, said a minister on France Inter. Jean-Michel Blanquer specified that it would be “voluntary staff”.
Where will the self-tests be carried out?
Teachers will be able to carry out the self-tests at home. As for the students, “they will do it within the establishment, in dedicated places”, said the Minister of National Education. In one notice returned on April 19, the Scientific Council indicated that the self-tests should be carried out “initially with on-site training (once or twice), then the realization will be done at home under the control of parents“.
How often will students and teachers benefit from it?
Teachers will receive two self-tests per week, while high school students will have a weekly test. “It appears that a rhythm of 1 to 2 tests per week with a participation of at least 75% of the pupils makes it possible to have a very significant impact on the risk of school dissemination of the virus“, indicated the Scientific Council in its last opinion.
What will happen in the event of a positive test?
A positive result obtained with a self-test must systematically be confirmed by a PCR test, according to the recommendations of the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS). But what is the procedure to follow in the event of a positive test? “We will close the class as soon as there is a case of contamination”, specified the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer during the press conference of April 22. The student infected with Covid-19 will have to remain isolated at his home for seven days.
At the same time, the Scientific Council recommends “the development of a secure digital platform recording the results of the tests, or any other mode of communication specifying the performance of the test and its result”.
Read also :
⋙ Self-tests: instructions for using them safely
⋙ Self-tests: operation, reliability … all you need to know about these screenings that have just arrived at the pharmacy
⋙ Self-tests: in which case are they reimbursed?