A few announcements and a lot of teaching.
The Minister of Health Olivier Véran presented himself this Thursday evening for his traditional press conference to take stock of the epidemic situation.
And it is not good.
“The epidemic situation is not good, recognizes Olivier Véran.
The trend is almost everywhere to accelerate the epidemic.
Last week, it was the Prime Minister who was responsible for presenting the executive's new strategy to fight an epidemic which is hitting resuscitation services head-on.
The executive, this evening, intends to hold its new line.
In the meantime, if necessary, to decide on new restrictions.
Three new departments under severe restriction
This is the main announcement of the evening.
The government has decided to submit three new departments under the new restriction regime that took effect last week.
Three new departments in which the resuscitation services are under pressure.
These are the Nièvre, the Rhône and the Aube.
The measure will come into force on the night of Friday to Saturday from midnight.
"Epidemic pressure is reaching alarming levels there," explains Olivier Véran with regard to these three departments.
"
19 departments are now affected by the new executive measures.
Namely a limitation of travel during the day coupled with a curfew coming into effect from 7 p.m.
Not to mention the ban on interregional travel.
Re-containment not envisaged at this stage
The executive intends to give itself time to see the possible first effects of the restrictive measures.
It is too early, yet, to determine whether these are effective in fighting the epidemic and reducing the number of contaminations, as well as intensive care admissions.
"It is too early", a formula used by the minister himself to judge this effectiveness, ruled the minister this evening.
"In the coming days, health and hospital pressure will continue to increase," he warns.
“Faced with the magnitude of the wave, some voices are being heard to demand harsher confinement, going as far as the closure of schools,” explains Olivier Véran.
But generalized confinement "is an extreme constraint", "a halt to our economy," he said, thus justifying the executive's desire to give itself a new chance to avoid it.
"It's a decision that is taken only when all the options have been tried."
And the Minister of Health to continue to justify the territorialized strategy implemented by the executive.
"There is no confinement, there are 50 shades of measures (...) The choice made by the government is the choice of confidence.
Decisions are made based on what we have learned.
And we learned a lot.
We have learned to better detect disease, to treat better, to take better care of patients.
"
Renewed hope on vaccination
Since the start of the year, the government has said it is relying heavily on vaccination to get out of the health crisis.
In recent weeks, the picture had darkened somewhat with the suspension of vaccination with AstraZeneca, which was finally able to resume quickly.
Olivier Véran believes that the confidence of the French is not broken, far from it.
“We will soon exceed 400,000 injections per day and then 500,000 injections per day.
More than half of people over 75 have received at least one dose, and more than 80% in nursing homes.
Olivier Véran then recalled that vaccination will be open from Saturday to all French people over 70 years old.
"Global vaccine production is increasing and therefore deliveries are increasing," he promises.
Olivier Véran reiterates the objective of 10 million French people vaccinated in mid-April, with “the immense hope of a return to normal”.
No change at school
Despite the deterioration in the health situation linked to Covid-19, the government has so far made the choice to systematically keep schools open.
Only high schools have returned to the semi-yellow in the 16 departments where new measures have come into force.
And the health protocol provides for the closure of one or more classes after a certain number of positive cases among students or teachers.
This protocol should be strengthened.
But the executive refuses to purely and simply close the establishments.
“Closing schools is a decision of last resort,” he explains.
We do not deny that the virus can also be transmitted at school, then in families ”, recognizes the minister, however.
In response, he promised this Thursday evening a strengthening of the health protocols to come in the establishments.