Since Monday, a case of Covid-19 in a class has led to its closure in the 19 confined departments. At Delacroix high school, where 22 classes have been closed since yesterday, massive screening is organized in the establishment. If this screening is not compulsory, it is strongly recommended.
The Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, announced last Friday that classes would be closed from the first case of contamination in the departments with reinforced measures.
On Sunday, in the Delacroix high school in Drancy in Seine-Saint-Denis, a report showed nearly sixty cases of Covid-19 in students since the start of the school year on March 1 and around twenty parents of students. deceased since the start of the health crisis in March 2020. The headmaster of the school and his deputy are also said to have Covid and many teachers are absent.
These class closures would affect 500 students out of 2,400
It was the rector of the Créteil academy Daniel Auverlot who announced a massive test campaign on Tuesday March 30 and Wednesday March 31 in this high school in Drancy. “We are going to have a massive detection”so that “all students and staff who want to be tested can be tested”he explained.
To take the measure of the circulation of the virus, the AP-HP was responsible for organizing this screening campaign, but this initiative does not completely reassure the teachers of the establishment.
Aline Cottereau, French teacher explains the reason for the distrust of teachers. “This screening campaign is coming a little late, the students were informed at the last moment of the implementation of these tests. There are a maximum of 600 people who will be tested in the high school, but in fact there will be many. less, because the students do not want to come, and others are contact cases and cannot move. “In addition, the antigenic tests are relatively unreliable, we must also admit that”, says the teacher.
Asymptomatic cases would be difficult to identify by antigen testing
Since their introduction, antigen tests are said to be less reliable in detecting asymptomatic cases. In a school, there are many asymptomatic young people and they can still be contagious.
On its health insurance website emphasizes “that rapid antigen tests are an additional tool for reducing viral transmission chains. They complement RT-PCR tests, which remain the reference technique for detecting Covid-19 infection”.
The test campaign takes place in high school, Tuesday and Wednesday with the possibility of extending it until Thursday if volunteers present themselves.
–
