Will the government have the means to achieve its ambitions? From May 11, the date advanced by Emmanuel Macron for the start of deconfinement, the executive wants to be able to perform 500,000 tests per week for people with symptoms and those who have been in contact with a coronavirus patient. But according to doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health specialist of Europe 1, "we lack visibility" on the question of tests.
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"It's a bit complicated," he says. "Currently, it is possible to be tested for the coronavirus with the PCR test, if you ever have symptoms, and even if you are not hospitalized, since now we have more and more tests."
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On the other hand, continues Jimmy Mohamed, "we lack visibility, and we don't know exactly which laboratories now have this tool and in what quantity. So, when your doctor gives you a prescription, either he has a network around him or he particularly knows the laboratory, or you have to go fishing a bit to get tested. "
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Moreover, according to our specialist, by May, "if you cough or have a fever at that time, it will be almost certain that it is coronavirus, because the other respiratory viruses will have almost faded away". So, he continues, "maybe we should go fishing a little for asymptomatic people. Except that we would have to test a lot of people for that".
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"So this is a delicate question," concludes Jimmy Mohamed. "Perhaps we will have more prospects and a real list of laboratories that do the tests, and within what timeframe."