Djillali Annane is a doctor, he is also a father. For him, no question of targeting the behavior of young people, but of "allowing them to know their Covid status". The head of intensive care at Garches hospital (Hauts-de-Seine) - where the number of hospitalizations is increasing - advocates systematic tests for 15-40 year olds. According to him, the only solution so that the virus, active in this age group, does not spread among the elderly at the start of the school year.
It has been said a lot that the population at risk is not young people ...
DJILLALI ANNANE . I bite my fingers! We hammered too hard that they feared nothing. In good faith, some say to us today “but I was told that…” We are paying for this poor communication. It should have been clear: you have little risk of developing a severe form, but a high probability of carrying the virus without knowing it and of transmitting it. Not feeling sick doesn't mean you're not contagious.
So it's only for others, not for them?
The number 1 risk for them remains to send someone - a parent, a grandparent, a colleague - in intensive care. But the virus does not completely spare them. In my department, a 19-year-old young woman died from Covid.
What to do ?
Already, do not point the finger at them because they are legitimately enjoying their summer. We have to find together a way so that 15-40 year olds do not transmit the virus which circulates abundantly in them. This requires knowing their Covid status. My proposal: systematic, compulsory and free screening by PCR test in this age group. This must be done before the start of the school year, that is to say before the resumption of high school, university, work ...
In practice, is it feasible?
Yes, if we go towards them, including on holiday resorts before piling up on the return trains and on the motorway areas. Mobile screening points must be installed in stations, on beaches, and even in bars. This can only work with a strong relay of the importance of testing. The words of a 57-year-old doctor like me have no impact on them. But if Mbappé posts him on his networks, then it can work. Youth opinion leaders have a big role to play.
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Why not wait until the start of the school year?
Because we are close to the inflection point. We have two weeks to reverse the very worrying curve before the situation gets out of hand. The priority is to do everything possible to ensure that the virus active in those under 40 does not spread to the upper age group. Otherwise, we will multiply by ten, by a hundred the number of serious cases. The government must give a national framework and put an end to its contradictions.
What do you think ?
The 5,000-person gauge for gatherings blurs the message. We need more stringent measures, more consistent with what we are asking of the population. We must put all the chances on our side. Unlike March, we have no more excuses. Now we know.