Omicron, fourth dose of vaccine, hospitals ... what to remember from Olivier Véran's intervention

A health situation which is stretched and a minister who nevertheless wants to reassure.

Olivier Véran was the guest of France Inter this Monday morning, before his meeting, in the afternoon, alongside a dozen ministers "in order to take stock of the impact of the Omicron variant and the continuity of essential public services, ”as Matignon announced on Sunday.

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“It will continue to increase in the coming days: the circulation of Omicron is very high (…) all over the planet.

(…) We have never recorded so many contaminations all over the world, ”the Minister of Health immediately underlined, facing Léa Salamé.

He indicates that we are already "over 200,000 cases diagnosed" of this variant in the French population.

"I do not see any slowdown in Omicron traffic", also assures Olivier Véran, recalling that the Delta variant is still present.

"There are resuscitations in very high tension, in saturation"

“Omicron is less dangerous, it causes fewer acute respiratory distress syndromes. The need for a resuscitation bed is lower than with the previous variants. On the other hand (…) we expect to have a very large influx of patients in conventional hospital beds. (…) Omicron's second risk is a dysfunction in society. Too many contaminations, too many contact cases, ”said Olivier Véran, adding that the Delta variant saturates the intensive care beds. Before sketching an inventory in the hospitals: “There are resuscitations in very strong tension, in saturation, in particular in the Bouches-du-Rhône. (…) It is almost exclusively of the Delta variant, and there are two profiles: vaccinated patients, and fragile immunocompromised patients ”.

“Omicron will fill our hospitals,” says Véran.

"I am not saying that Omicron is less dangerous, I am saying that it causes less sheaves", advance on France Inter Olivier Véran.

He explains that "other pathologies have arrived, the flu has started, gastroenteritis is there ... Of the 400,000 medical beds in our hospitals, 20,000 are already occupied by Covid patients even before the Omicron wave".

Towards a fourth dose of vaccine?

Regarding a possible fourth dose of vaccine against Covid-19, the minister is not evading anything. “The question will arise quite quickly for the fragile people in our country, the immunocompromised or very old people. We are discussing it with scientists, ”he confirms. "I receive a lot of requests from fragile people who tell me,

 ." He evokes the case of Israel which launched its fourth dose “timidly”. "When we have their data, I imagine that we will move but I cannot yet say it with confidence", affirms Olivier Véran.

. @ olivierveran: "The question of a new dose of vaccine will arise quickly enough for the fragile in our country, the immunocompromised or very old people. We are discussing it with scientists, for the moment only Israel has opened this fourth dose "# le79inter pic.twitter.com/RXjh2Ask8k

- France Inter (@franceinter) January 3, 2022

He also wants to be reassuring about the health situation.

“I said maybe this was the last of the waves.

Considering the rate of contamination in our country, it is probable that we have all acquired immunity or by vaccination or by transmission or both ", explains the Minister, with a point of concern nevertheless:" This month of January will go on. be difficult in the hospital, the caregivers who are hard at work ”.

“At the end of the first wave, 4 to 5% of the population had reached some form of immunity and we did not have a vaccine.

(…) We will have, at the end of the Omicron wave, an immunity which will be well above 50%.

Even with almost 100% vaccination in reality, ”he added.

8 million tests in one week

"We made nearly 8 million tests in a week during the holidays, a million a day, we are one of the countries that tests the most," also assured Olivier Véran, who welcomes the mobilization of pharmacies and laboratories.

Asked about the absence of gauges in certain political meetings, such as at Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Marine Le Pen or Éric Zemmour: “I wonder how we can claim to be responsible once in power, when we are not capable of to be responsible whereas one claims to have power (…) They are on a form of denial and at the same time on a form of recovery of a very small part of the French electorate.

"