This Tuesday, March 17, 2021, the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) gave the green light for the deployment of self-tests by nasal sampling in France. The goal? Allow faster isolation of patients. How do they work and in what context to use them? Passeport Santé takes stock.
A nasal swab test to be performed at home
Self-tests are antigenic tests which are carried out by nasal sampling in autonomy. Like PCR tests, they require a swab to be inserted into the nose. But unlike RT-PCR virological tests, they are meant to be less unpleasant because the swab is less sunken in the nose (count 3-4cm deep). The swab is then placed in a small container which, using a reagent similar to a pregnancy test, will show results in about 20 minutes. The self-test is currently authorized for people over the age of fifteen.
In which contexts to use them?
Regarding the use of self-tests, HAS recommends obtaining them under the following conditions:
- On medical indication: as part of a large-scale iterative targeted screening as an alternative to antigenic RDTs / TRODs (rapid diagnostic test and diagnostic orientation test) on nasopharyngeal or nasal samples. The choice between TROD and autotest depends on the method of organization of the screening and the willingness and ability of each to perform one or the other test.
- On indication within the framework of a use restricted to the private sphere: for example, before a meeting with relatives… The test should ideally be carried out the same day or, failing that, the day before the visit.
Anyway, the HAS also specified that “Any positive antigenic self-test must then be confirmed by an RT-PCR test, also making it possible to characterize the variant present “.
