Ugo Pascolo 4:15 p.m., January 07, 2022

The fifth wave of Covid-19 continues to sweep over France, and with it the tests are multiplying in all pharmacies in the territory.

Under pressure, pharmacies should not, however, crack according to Gilles Bonnefond, spokesperson for the Union Syndicale des Pharmaciens de Pharmacien.

This is the other wave sweeping over France and which is directly correlated to Omicron: the tests.

Since the rise in power in the territory of the South African variant of the coronavirus, screening is also following a similar upward slope.

And while more than 400,000 cases were actually detected on Monday alone.

Every day, it is "1.2 million tests which were carried out in France only in pharmacies", indicates at the microphone of Europe 1 Gilles Bonnefond.

Despite this very important figure, the spokesperson for the Union syndicale des pharmaciens de dispensaire is reassuring, pharmacies are generally holding up the shock.

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No out of stock on antigenic tests

"We do not have (stock) antigenic tests, and fortunately, since it is the test which makes it possible to make the diagnoses."

However, tensions exist on other tests, such as self-tests.

And Gilles Bonnefond is once again reassuring, since on the one hand, "we are working with European manufacturers to restock", but also because the self-tests are less important.

Of course, they make it possible "to follow up on contact patients", but the most important thing is not to have any break in antigenic tests despite the very sustained pace.

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A "very effective" screening strategy

Especially since the spokesperson recalls that these tests are one of the bases of the French strategy in the fight against Covid-19.

A "very effective screening strategy which makes it possible to avoid confinements as other countries have been able to do by confining only positive people".

And Gilles Bonnefond to drive home the point: "We also have a tool that allows us to concentrate all the information, department by department, to see the circulation of the virus. And it is very valuable, there are very few countries that have that. "