After two years of the pandemic, everyday habits like wearing a mask everywhere, keeping hydroalcoholic gel handy, and testing frequently have become routine. This is especially true after contact with a positive case, when symptoms appear, or before crowded events. Options include PCR tests at labs, self-tests from stores, antigen tests at pharmacies, or visits to dedicated testing tents. While we’ve mastered protocols to protect ourselves and others, new research reveals that testing in a tent can be a risky choice.
A Le Parisien investigation highlights how testing location and temperature critically affect accuracy. Antigen tests and self-tests are already less reliable than PCRs, but the environment plays a major role too. Inconsistent results—positive one day, negative the next—may stem from this. With freezing temperatures gripping France, cold exposure could skew your screening results.
The General Directorate of Health stresses proper swab conservation: store between 2°C and 30°C, never below 8°C. “If the tests have been frozen, this completely degrades the silica matrix," says Gilles Bonnefond, spokesperson for the Union of Community Pharmacists (USPO), to Le Parisien. In a tent, swabs often endure prolonged cold before warm analysis, potentially causing false positives from low temperature exposure.
