Test, alert, protect. It is to strengthen this strategy to fight against covid-19 that the government has decided to deploy saliva tests in schools and universities. These tests will be implemented “back from school holidays“, Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced on February 4 during the press conference he held alongside Prime Minister Jean Castex.

“Several hundred thousand tests”

“We are going to multiply collective screening operations, in particular for schools (…), but also universities“, specified the minister.

The only obstacle: we still have to wait for the opinion of the High Authority of Health (HAS) “within 10 days“. As soon as this opinion is given,”we will deploy these techniques so that when we return from school holidays, we can perform several hundred thousand tests, by saliva sampling“continued Olivier Véran.

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Laboratory analysis

But what kind of test is it? These will not be so-called rapid saliva tests but rather PCR tests, which must therefore always be analyzed in the laboratory.

“Only the sampling technique changes“, explained Olivier Véran, stressing that the test is less unpleasant to carry out, especially for children: it suffices to spit out saliva and we thus avoid”the swab in the nose“.

The samples will then be sent for laboratory analysis, such as nasopharyngeal swab tests.

Rapid tests not yet reliable enough

As for rapid saliva tests, which give a result in 40 minutes, this is currently out of the question in schools. “It would be great if we could have saliva tests that give you a result in a few minutes.“admitted the Minister of Health.

“But at this stage, the studies (…) are not favorable to (their) use, because the sensitivity of the tests that exist today is too low“, he justified.

Approved tests for symptoms

The main rapid saliva test, the EasyCov test, has been reimbursable by Social Security since the beginning of January. HAS recommended on November 28 its use and reimbursement “in symptomatic people for whom nasopharyngeal sampling is impossible or difficult to perform“.

Two months earlier, on September 18, the HAS had given the green light to another type of saliva test, which requires laboratory analysis by PCR. These tests had been approved only for people with symptoms.

Since January 23, the HAS has been working on new evaluations of these saliva tests by PCR to extend them to asymptomatic people, such as in schools.