Could the covid-19 epidemic have been avoided if France had organized systematic screening for the virus? Voices are raised to balance the attitude of the French government and that of the South Korean authorities regarding this practice. Indeed, the South Koreans have succeeded, by massively resorting to screening tests, to stem the epidemic without resorting to containment.
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"Screening does not prevent the spread of the virus," said the Minister of Health at a press conference on Saturday. "When the epidemic is a reality and it has spread throughout the territory, confinement is the only possibility of curbing things." In fact, organizing a general screening now would be useless. Olivier Véran however announced that a test campaign should be organized once the containment is lifted.
Daily capacity of 4,000 tests
In France, 120 laboratories test 4,000 people a day. But for now, screening is mainly reserved for those who have symptoms. Olivier Véran knows that the strategy will have to be reviewed when life begins again: "We will have to be able to check whether the people for whom there is a doubt present the disease or not."
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In all, 60,000 tests have been carried out since the start of the epidemic. According to the minister, the researchers are working on a simpler and faster method of diagnosis.