Demonstration of the use of a Covid self-test, June 4, 2021 in Brest (AFP/Archives/Fred TANNEAU)
The sale of self-tests in supermarkets, authorized since the beginning of January for a month, will be extended by two weeks, until February 15, according to a decree published on Saturday in the Official Journal.
“Considering that the retail authorization, on an exceptional basis, of self-tests outside pharmacies, has made it possible to meet the very high demand”, the executive judged that “the sustainability of the screening strategy , in a context of intense circulation of the Omicron variant (…) implies extending once the duration of this derogation by fifteen days, i.e. until February 15, 2022”, underlines the decree.
The authorization, announced at the end of December, had angered pharmacists who had until then had a monopoly on the sale of self-tests. In particular, they accused supermarkets of being responsible for stock shortages in certain pharmacies.
With the arrival of the Omicron variant, the incidence exploded in France, as in many other countries, and led to an unprecedented increase in the number of tests carried out.
In January alone, the cost of tests for the state, which therefore includes PCR, antigens and self-tests under certain conditions, will amount to 1.5 billion euros, recalled on Saturday on France Info TV the Minister Delegate for Public Accounts Olivier Dussopt, against 6.9 billion euros for the whole of 2021.
© 2022 AFP
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