PCR TEST. The number of PCR tests carried out increases in accordance with the sanitary protocol, but it is no longer necessary to confirm a positive antigen test with a PCR. Details of the situations in which to perform a PCR test.
[Mis à jour le 7 janvier à 16h12] the sanitary protocol insists and goes to great lengths on the testing and contact tracing strategy. In addition to vaccination, massive recourse to screening tests is the preferred solution to contain the spread of the virus and the increase in contamination. Also the PCR test remains the sinews of war and health measures require all contact cases to perform a test to be counted in the statistics and trigger the tracing device to prevent new contact cases. The use of PCR does not stop there, the test should also be used when a self-test is positive or to shorten the duration of isolation to five or seven days. However, this Friday, January 7, the protocol has seen a small reduction: it is no longer necessary to confirm a positive antigen test with a PCR test.
The increase in the number of PCR tests carried out is inevitably accompanied by high attendance at screening centers and especially laboratories, both in terms of people coming to be tested and the results to be obtained. The queues are lengthening in front of these places and the SI-DEP server, which allows the entry and retrieval of test results, was overwhelmed by the quantity of analyzes to be carried out and results to be delivered. January 4 on Franceinfo, François Blanchecotte, president of the national union of biologists, evoked “difficulties of access and rendering of results. It seems that the server (SI-DEP) is saturated with the requests which flow.” The cancellation of the confirmation of positive antigenic tests also aims to relieve congestion in laboratories that work in just-in-time.
The French must carry out PCR tests, but at what cost? Since October 15, all the so-called “comfort” tests carried out to obtain a health pass have been paid for but all those carried out as part of a screening remain free, and the rule is the same with the entry into force of the latest health rules. . All people with a complete vaccination schedule, those vaccinated or not confirming the positive result of a self-test or those with a medical prescription can be tested without paying the costs. Health Insurance specifies on its site all the situations which give free access to the performance of a PCR test.
When to do a PCR test?
PCR and antigen tests are the only ones that can confirm a person’s positivity for Covid-19 and according to the new protocol in force since Monday, January 3, several PCR tests can be performed during screening. People with a complete vaccination schedule should:
- A first PCR or antigen test as soon as they learn that they are in contact
- A confirmatory PCR test if one of the self-tests carried out on D + 2 and D + 4 of the last contact with the person suffering from Covid-19 is positive.
- A new PCR or antigen test on the fifth day of isolation to reduce the quarantine period to five days instead of seven.
Note that a confirmatory PCR test is only mandatory after a positive self-test. A positive antigen test is sufficient to consider a person positive for coronavirus. This slight modification of the protocol is supposed to unclog laboratories and screening centers.
For people without a complete vaccination schedule, performing a PCR test during the isolation period can reduce the duration of the quarantine to seven days instead of ten if the result is negative.
Is PCR testing free?
The health protocol designed to contain the spread of Covid-19 requires the performance of PCR tests, because screening with the virological device is free under certain conditions. All people with a complete vaccination schedule, with a contraindication to vaccination or a certificate of recovery of less than six months and minors can be tested without paying the costs. Other exceptions allow unvaccinated people to use PCR tests free of charge, in particular people considered and informed to be a “risky contact case” by Health Insurance, the TousAntiCovid application, a regional health agency or National Education. They must then present the supporting document sent by the organization to claim the free PCR test. Other exceptional situations include:
- Provided with a medical prescription
- Having to perform a PCR test to confirm the result of a self-test
- Having to perform a PCR test to enter a health facility and receive treatment
- Coming from a country on the red list to get out of quarantine
- Concerned by a collective screening campaign
L’Health Insurance specifies on its site the supporting documents to be presented, the deadlines to be respected and all the conditions which allow a PCR test to be carried out while being paid for.
Since Friday, October 15, the so-called “comfort” PCR test, carried out in the laboratory, is billed at 44 euros for unvaccinated adults. In pharmacies, the PCR test costs 25 euros during the week and up to 30 euros the weekend. On the other hand, screening remains free for people with a complete vaccination schedule or a contraindication to vaccination, minors, identified by the “contact tracing” made by the Health Insurance, concerned by collective screening campaigns, symptomatic on medical prescription, having a certificate of recovery of less than six months.
In these cases, several documents must be presented depending on the situation: a certificate of vaccination, vaccination contraindication or recovery, in the form of a “QR code” (paper or digital), an identity document for minors, proof of risky contact (email or SMS) sent by Health Insurance for coverage on the 1st and 7th day, a medical prescription valid for 48 hours and not renewable.
Many screening places offer to perform PCR tests without an appointment. In some temporary centers, screenings are done all week and only without an appointment. Medical analysis laboratories can offer specific niches. All screening centers are listed on the site Santé.fr with the reception arrangements.
It should be noted that the crowd can be important, and be prepared to wait a while before being received by a health professional, if you wish to do an RT-PCR test without an appointment.
It is possible to perform an RT-PCR test at different screening points:
- public or private medical analysis laboratories;
- temporary screening centers, located in premises made available, or in public spaces such as car parks or parks.
To make it easy to find a screening point near home, the French government has carried out an online card on the Santé.fr website grouping together all the places where it is possible to carry out a Covid PCR test. It is necessary to make an appointment.
Volunteer pharmacists are well authorized to carry out antigenic tests, which are Covid screening tests that provide a result in about fifteen minutes. They are, however, less reliable than RT-PCR tests. The antigen test in pharmacies is available with or without an appointment, often very quickly. You just have to contact the pharmacy to have access to this test. This test is therefore recommended for all people with symptoms, to allow action to be taken quickly if the test is positive.
The RT-PCR test is a virological test. It detects the virus using a nasopharyngeal swab. In practice, the healthcare professional uses a swab, which looks like a cotton swab, to collect cells from inside both nostrils of the person being tested. It only takes few seconds. The sample is then subjected to biochemical reactions to amplify the virus and detect it. In general, it is possible to know the results of a Covid PCR test carried out in a pharmacy within 24 hours.
It is quite possible to do a PCR test without a prescription. It is therefore possible to go to most screening centers without a medical prescription, even without symptoms. However, you must be in one of the following situations to be given priority:
- have symptoms that are identified as related to Covid;
- have been identified as a “contact person”.
Until mid-October, RT-PCR tests are fully reimbursed by Health Insurance. They are therefore free for all people being tested in France. From mid-October, however, only tests prescribed by prescription will still be reimbursed. The others, called “comfort”, will become chargeable.