The dynamic is unstoppable: the Delta variant "is gradually becoming dominant," said the Minister of Health Olivier Véran on France Info this Tuesday morning.
It currently represents "around 20% of new diagnoses in France", ie twice as many as last week.
Last Wednesday, government spokesman Gabriel Attal estimated its presence between 9 and 10% of new cases of Covid-19.
Identified for the first time in India, the Delta, more transmissible than other strains of the coronavirus, requires, insisted Véran, "that we remain very vigilant" while it is wreaking havoc in Russia and Great Britain, that 10 million Australians are again restricted in their movements and social interactions.
However, the news is generally good on the coronavirus front: Monday evening, less than 9,000 patients were hospitalized in France for the consequences of a Covid-19 infection, 1,400 fewer than a week ago.
"For now, the incidence rate (number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) continues to drop, we are at 18, or 20 to 30 times less than at the time of the peak", explained the Minister.
We can escape a rise in numbers because of the variant from India, thanks to vaccination and close tracing.
As proof, in the Landes, the department where it appeared first in France, the government carried out "a very strong action plan, contact tracing (search for contact cases, Editor's note), mass vaccination and the rate of incidence fell by 10% in a few days ”.
In the event of a fourth wave in the fall, Olivier Véran estimated that it would undoubtedly be “different” from the previous ones, as in the United Kingdom.
"Logic would say that if you are vaccinated, you can be infected but will not have serious forms."
"With the vaccine, there is a 94-95% reduction in hospitalizations and severe forms" and a decrease in asymptomatic forms, which, ideally, should make it possible to tackle a possible fourth wave with "zero health, social and educational impact" .
"To strengthen, to boost their immunity"
On condition of bringing the French back to the vaccination centers, "those people who hesitate and delay vaccination." And remember that "these people who are not vaccinated are particularly exposed to a particularly contagious variant". The ministry will ask the CNIL "for the possibility of sending general practitioners the list of their vaccinated patients, so that they can mobilize those who have not been".
With regard to caregivers, after having written to all the directors of hospitals and nursing homes to mobilize around them, the Minister of Health reiterated that the government "is giving itself until September" to decide. or not of compulsory vaccination, a measure which requires a law. In this particularly exposed category, "the vaccination rate is still rising, but not fast enough", admitted Véran, adding that if the situation continues, "we will move towards compulsory vaccination". He explained that in an Ehpad in the Landes, six caregivers had been infected with the coronavirus, including "five who were not vaccinated".
Ehpad des Landes: six caregivers contaminated with Covid-19 including "five who were not vaccinated", indicates Olivier Véran, Minister of Solidarity and Health
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- franceinfo (@franceinfo) June 29, 2021
Likewise, it is in September that the government may consider making PCR tests payable for unvaccinated people.
"This is an avenue under study," acknowledged the Minister of Solidarity and Health.
This month of September 2021 could also be that of the opening of a new vaccination campaign in nursing homes. "We are planning to do a third vaccination at the start of the school year for the elderly" in these establishments, "to strengthen, to boost their immunity", assured Olivier Véran, saying that the scientists he consulted "a lot" encouraged him to do so. strongly because “when you are 90-95 years old, your immune system responds less well”.
