A million people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in France, where stricter border rules came into force on Sunday January 24, but the thesis of a new confinement is increasingly raised.
It would be the third in the country in a year.
Read also: A million people vaccinated: has France caught up with other countries?
This new measure would be taken because hospital pressure remains strong in the country: Saturday 25,800 patients were hospitalized, including nearly 2,900 in intensive care.
And even though this last figure is down slightly.
"
The absolute urgency is to vaccinate the most vulnerable with the vaccines available to protect them against the disease
", estimates the doctor Yves Lévy, director of the Vaccine Research Institute (VRI) at the CHU Henri-Mondor in Créteil ( Val-de-Marne), in an interview with JDD.
"
We can think (that these vaccines) will remain partly effective
" in the face of the new variants, he added.
However, for him, the idea of achieving "
group immunity
" is "
illusory
" and blocking the arrival of the English mutant is "
mission impossible
".
So, faced with variants in particular, "
containment remains the most effective weapon
," says this specialist.
The government, for its part, still officially hopes to avoid it.
But if it were to take place, the Ministry of Health Olivier Véran prefers to take measures before the arrival of a third wave.
“
We need the curfew to work, we have to manage to cope with the variant and save time.
In the best case scenario, we will be able to reduce the epidemic pressure.
If this is not the case, we will not wait until March to act.
We are monitoring the evolution of the effects of the curfew on a daily basis.
We will not wait for a new wave to arrive to take the right measures,
”he told Le
Parisien
.
At present, “
the situation allows for school continuity.
But we are vigilant
”, for his part assured the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer to the JDD.
"I prefer the terms that prevailed in November with open establishments, especially since we see a posteriori that our strategy has worked
", continued the Minister before adding: "
All our work consists in avoiding this hypothesis (d 'closure of establishments), even if it remains conceivable in the event of absolute necessity.
School remains essential for our children
”.
According to
Le Journal du dimanche
, Emmanuel Macron could speak on Wednesday January 27, the day of the next defense council.