Europe 1 with AFP 6:09 p.m., December 17, 2021

As the Christmas holidays approach, the executive fears an increase in contamination from the coronavirus.

As a result, the government is preparing to announce a reimbursement for Covid-19 self-testing, up to two per person between December 20 and January 2 for people who have been vaccinated. 

The government is preparing to announce a reimbursement of self-tests for Covid-19, up to two per person between December 20 and January 2, the main pharmacists' union said on Friday. "Only people who have been vaccinated could benefit from the payment of self-tests by the Health Insurance ", specifies the FSPF in a message sent to its members.

"This measure should be confirmed in the coming hours," adds the union, while a health defense council began at 4:00 p.m.

Shortage of self-tests?

Philippe Besset, President of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Syndicates of France, sees it as "an additional solution" for pharmacies which reach "a kind of glass ceiling on antigenic tests".

But he fears "strong demand" and regrets that pharmacists were "not warned early enough" to increase their stocks, estimated "between 800,000 and a million self-tests", with the risk "that many people will be disappointed. because they will want self-tests and there will not be enough ".

Thursday, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, had however affirmed that "of the self-tests, there are many", assuring to want "to simplify the access to the self-tests in the period of the days to come".