Covid tests: WHO calls for extra vigilance during the holidays

A man undergoes the test for Covid-19, at the National Arena stadium in Bucharest on June 10, 2020. AFP - DANIEL MIHAILESCU

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5 mins

After the rush on Christmas presents, should we expect a rush on Covid tests?

The temptation is great to be sure not to infect your loved ones at the time of the end of the year holidays.

But the WHO fears that a negative result will come at the expense of barrier gestures which must, says the agency, remain the norm throughout this period.

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With our correspondent in Geneva,

Jérémie Lanche

The movement is not yet massive.

But all over Europe, interest in PCR or antigen testing is increasing as the holidays draw near.

For some, it is the assurance of being able to spend a Christmas with the family without worrying too much about the health consequences.

False good idea, says the French Minister of Health who fears as much a congestion of laboratories as the false sense of security provided by tests that would come out negative.

This is also the opinion of the head of emergency operations at WHO Mike Ryan: “ 

What we need is more tests, not less.

But when you get tested negative one day, that doesn't mean you will be negative the next day.

So testing more to find more infected people, no problem.

But relying on a single test to decide what can do or who you can see right after is problematic

.

"

The communication exercise is particularly difficult, after months of hammering out the slogan test, trace and isolate.

In Great Britain, the authorities will also launch massive tests for adolescents just before the holidays, even if they are not symptomatic.

More tests are better than no tests at all, says WHO.

Provided that social distancing and masks remain the norm and not the exception.

♦ Why is aeration in closed places an important preventive measure?

The new coronavirus continues to actively circulate almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere.

To guard against this, there are these famous barrier gestures: wearing a mask, physical distance, hand washing and, we must not forget: ventilation, a measure that some countries, such as Germany, take in the spotlight for several months.

In France, it was not until mid-October, during a speech, that the President of the Republic suddenly added it to the barrier gestures.

Sneezing, coughing, but also talking, singing, and breathing: all actions that cause the emission of droplets.

They come in different sizes, although they are all tiny.

Francis Allard is a physicist and professor emeritus at the University of La Rochelle ...

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Valerie Cohen

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• Coronavirus

• France