The first French patient died, a true outbreak confirmed in Italy, and first cases in Austria, Switzerland, Croatia and Greece. If the World Health Organization has still not declared a pandemic, the strategy of "containment" implemented since the appearance of the new coronavirus in China seems to be a failure: the virus has clearly crossed borders, striking in particular South Korea, Iran… and Europe, with the appearance of a secondary focus in northern Italy.
This Wednesday, there were more than 370 confirmed cases in Italy, which has become a new platform for the dissemination of the virus after China, as shown by the appearance of nine cases linked to Italy in Spain in 48 hours, out of eleven in total since two months.
In total, outside Italy, more than sixty cases were recorded Wednesday in Europe, the majority in Germany (18), France (17), the United Kingdom (13) and Spain (11). There was also one case in Greece, two in Austria, one in Belgium, one in Finland and one in Sweden. But it is indeed the whole continent, where free movement remains the rule, which is organized in the face of the threat. Explanations in maps.
In France, the epidemic starts
After a lull in France, the alert went up a notch with the detection of five new cases between Tuesday and Wednesday. And above all, from the first death of a Frenchman, a 60-year-old teacher based in the Oise, who died on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. "He had Covid-19 but died of a massive pulmonary embolism," a medical source told us. He did not return from a risk zone.
With him, two other proven cases were announced on Wednesday: a 55-year-old Frenchman taken care of in Amiens (Somme) in intensive care, and another 36-year-old man in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), who was returning from Lombardy.
The day before, two new cases had been announced: a French Chinese hospitalized in Paris, and since cured, and a French sexagenarian returning from a trip to Italy, taken care of in Annecy (Haute-Savoie).
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These five new cases (one deceased, three sick, and one out of the woods) are added to a first "series" of twelve cases proven over the past weeks, eleven having resulted in cures. The first patient to die was an 80-year-old Chinese tourist who died on February 14.
Italy, black point of Europe
The start of the epidemic in Europe coincides with the appearance over the past five days of a real outbreak in Italy. This Wednesday afternoon, there were nearly 400 detected cases and twelve deaths. The most affected regions are Lombardy and Veneto, which concentrate a majority of cases. The areas of Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, and Trentino-Alto Adige are also affected. These last two regions are also bordering on France and Austria.
If the spread took place there so suddenly, it is because the nature of the virus, which can be carried by a patient without symptoms but contagious, makes it difficult to detect. Besides the zero patient, that is to say the first infected and contagious person, has still not been identified.
In eleven cities in the North - where foci of the epidemic have been located - more than 50,000 Italians have been placed in quarantine. Sports and cultural gatherings have been canceled. Supermarkets and pharmacies were taken by storm for food and masks.
Is Europe ready?
Globally, the WHO repeats: countries are not ready. "Health security at the national level in the world is fundamentally low," was already alarmed a study by the American John Hopkins University last October, summarized in Le Figaro. The latter aimed to assess the level of preparation of each country for an epidemic or pandemic, based on six criteria: prevention, detection, speed of response, quality of the health system, respect international standards and environmental risk.
At the country level, it is the countries of North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea and even Thailand that are doing well. In Europe, the Netherlands are the better ranked, in fourth position in the world. France, too, is well positioned, in 11th place.
France has an asset: its good prevention capabilities, said the study. Its capabilities for detection, rapid response and slowing the spread of the epidemic are also praised.
Among our lower-rated neighbors, we find in particular Spain and Belgium, which are respectively 15th and 19th in the ranking. Italy, where the spread of the epidemic was poorly controlled at its inception, is ranked 31st, with poor marks for the treatment of patients.
All of Europe has good reason to remain vigilant: on Wednesday, cases were mainly located in Italy, France and Germany, but also in Spain, Greece, Croatia, Austria, Belgium and Finland.