PCR TEST. This Friday, October 15, the so-called “comfort” PCR test will no longer be free in France except in the event of a medical prescription.
[Mis à jour le 11 octobre 2021 à 11h50] If you want to take a free PCR test to get the health pass, you only have a few days left before it becomes chargeable. From Friday, October 15, the so-called “comfort” test will be billed 44 euros for unvaccinated adults as confirmed by the government in a press release on Friday. On the other hand, free access will remain effective for PCR tests prescribed by doctors, as well as for people just over the age of majority or high school students. In detail, the medical prescription must be less than 48 hours and prescriptions by email after a teleconsultation will be accepted. People who need a test to have an operation are also affected. Patients with a vaccine contraindication certificate must present it to the professional who performs the test in order to benefit from the free service. Finally, for people already vaccinated and contact cases, the tests will also remain free.
The RT-PCR test is a virological test. It detects the virus using a nasopharyngeal swab. In practice, the healthcare professional uses a swab, which looks like a cotton swab, to collect cells from inside both nostrils of the person being tested. It only takes few seconds. The sample is then subjected to biochemical reactions to amplify the virus and detect it. In general, it is possible to know the results of a Covid PCR test carried out in a pharmacy within 24 hours.
It is possible to perform an RT-PCR test at different screening points:
- public or private medical analysis laboratories;
- temporary screening centers, located in premises made available, or in public spaces such as car parks or parks.
To make it easy to find a screening point near home, the French government has carried out an online card on the Santé.fr website bringing together all the places where it is possible to carry out a Covid PCR test.
Volunteer pharmacists are well authorized to carry out antigenic tests, which are Covid screening tests which allow a result to be obtained in about fifteen minutes. They are, however, less reliable than RT-PCR tests. The antigen test in pharmacies is available with or without an appointment, often very quickly. You just have to contact the pharmacy to have access to this test. This test is therefore recommended for all people with symptoms, to allow rapid action to be taken if the test is positive.
Many screening places offer to perform PCR tests without an appointment. In some temporary centers, screenings are done all week and only without an appointment. Medical analysis laboratories can offer specific niches. All screening centers are listed on the site Santé.fr with the reception arrangements.
It should be noted that the crowd can be important, and be prepared to wait a while before being received by a health professional, if you wish to do an RT-PCR test without an appointment.
It is quite possible to do a PCR test without a prescription. It is therefore possible to go to the majority of screening centers without a medical prescription, even without symptoms. However, you must be in one of the following situations to be given priority:
- have symptoms identified as related to Covid;
- have been identified as a “contact person”.
Until mid-October, RT-PCR tests are fully reimbursed by Health Insurance. They are therefore free for all people being tested in France. From mid-October, however, only tests prescribed by prescription will still be reimbursed. The others, called “comfort”, will become chargeable.
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