“The cost of tests in January is more than $ 1.6 billion, and we need to find other tools,” promises Vincent Marchell, a professor of virology.

“We can’t do tests” Often always. “Test spending exceeds $ 1.6 billion in January”Vincent Marrachell, professor of virology at the University of Sorbonne, one of the co-founders of the Opioid Project (Sewage Epidemiological Surveillance), explained at the Info in France, two days after sanctions were lifted in France, and generally sanctions were lifted in Europe.

Faced with this amount, he estimates that he will “Need to find other cheap tools” And node “Sewage monitoring” Like a “Financially most attractive tool” : “We spent 300,000 euros in January to pursue almost 40% of the population” By analyzing wastewater. It can be measured by analyzing the wastewater A virus cycle in a geographical area And makes it possible to follow its evolution from one region to another. This is essential “Move towards tools that allow low-cost tracking of infections”He says.

In addition, sewage analysis affects a wider group than tests: in fact, most of those tested do so because they have symptoms that somewhat exclude asymptomatic but infectious individuals.