Home Covid tests to stay in French supermarkets until February 15
The self-tests had been set to be sold until the end of January, but their help in meeting the soaring demand for tests means this has now been extended
Covid self-tests will now be available in supermarkets in France until February 15
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Home Covid tests will continue to be sold in supermarkets in France until February 15, two weeks longer than initially planned, the government has confirmed.
The sale of tests in supermarkets had initially been set to end in January, but a public decree published yesterday (Saturday, January 22) extended this to the middle of next month.
Selling tests in supermarkets has helped to satisfy the still-high demand, as Omicron continues to spread, it said.
It stated: “The authorisation of retail sales…of self-tests outside of pharmacies has made it possible to meet the very high demand. The sustainability of the screening strategy, in a context of intense circulation of the Omicron variant...implies…a fifteen-day extension.”
Pharmacists did not welcome the sale of tests in supermarkets when it was first announced, saying that this would cause stock shortages in pharmacies.
Read more: French supermarket boss calls for sale of home Covid tests
The arrival of the Omicron variant has caused record cases of Covid in France, and a consequent spike in the number of tests being done.
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Already, in January alone, tests (including self-tests, antigen and PCR) have cost the state €1.5billion, said Oliver Dussopt, Minister at the Ministry of Public Action and Accounts, yesterday. This compares to €6.9billion for the whole of the year 2021.
Authorities cannot enforce when people use Covid self-tests, but they have been recommended for use in two situations.
- Firstly, for people who want to check their health status before seeing family and friends or attending a social gathering. In this instance, the test should be taken the same day as the gathering or, at most, within the previous 24 hours.
- Secondly, self-tests could also be used in cases where regular, targeted testing is required as an alternative to rapid antigen tests, for example in schools and universities.
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They do not require a prescription.
In March last year, when self-tests first became available in France, health director Professor Jérôme Salomon said: “The tests can be used as a reassurance, and we can take them often.”
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