With Pierre Cuny, he has managed all of the Covid-19 screenings in Thionville, since the start of the crisis. Municipal councilor in charge of health affairs, Jean-Christophe Hamelin-Boyer looks back on recent weeks, these last months marked by the epidemic which Thionville had to face.
In July and August, Thionville organized six free screenings without appointment. What are the results ?
Jean-Christophe HAMELIN-BOYER : “In total, we have nearly 4,000 people tested. We started in July, before departures, then in the middle of the holidays, and finally a few days before the start of the school year and the return to work. We wanted to suggest that people get tested before the recovery. Of these 4,000 tests, 1.2% of people tested positive. This is less than the 3% recorded throughout the Grand Est. Thionville therefore seems less affected today, but we must be careful with the statistics. ”
Can you imagine other massive screenings in the coming weeks?
“We worked well with the volunteers and we asked them a lot. Now, we have to let the laboratories work normally, they are a bit overloaded, even if in Thionville, there are enough laboratories to meet demand. They had a hard time keeping up with the results, and people, impatient, do not always understand why they are not informed during the day! We therefore give ourselves a little time to see how the health situation is developing. Just in case, we can do it again quickly. “
Do it again in the same shape?
“Yes, but we can also imagine more targeted actions. Why not for young people, in the evening, near bars. As in Strasbourg. “
Have the neighboring municipalities approached you for this same type of action?
” Yes. Last Saturday, for example, we had a meeting with an assistant to the City of Fontoy who is considering screening in Fontoy and its built-up area. You should know that 40% of people who were screened in Thionville, in July and August, do not live in Thionville. ”
Are you in favor of nasopharyngeal swabs while other countries, such as Luxembourg, favor salivary swabs?
“The nasal swab has a repelling effect. We can say and repeat that it is painless, just unpleasant, but it is scary. At first, we started with just one nostril, then today it’s both. It still seems that the viral load on the swab is greater with the nasopharyngeal swab. Now, in France, the saliva sample is under discussion. Ultimately, we should get there. ”
In April, at the instigation of the Santé Intercom 57 association, Thionville deployed a single screening center at the Jean-Burger gymnasium. Then there were the screenings during the summer. Do you consider that the City has mobilized properly?
“Thionville is, in Moselle, the city which organized the greatest number of screening days and tests. We have been at the forefront with the Covid Thionville Moselle-Nord Center and all the elements collected by our actions allow us to orient our health policy. Today, it is above all not a question of letting our guard down, we are going to live with the Covid for a long time to come and there will be actions to take. “
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