Obviously, the ministers seek to put things into perspective.
"What relaxes is to say that whatever the government does, we will tell it that it was necessary to do the opposite", slips one of them in the face of the opposition's attacks on the management of the crisis of Covid-19.
But in recent days, in the corridors of power, everyone is holding their breath.
"We all know that we are at a pivotal moment, it can start to get better ... or continue to go even worse", loose a minister.
“The next few days are crucial,” adds another.
Emmanuel Macron's speech on Thursday evening, after the European Council, confirmed them in the feeling that the path of balance that the executive tried to find to avoid hard confinement is fragile.
Especially since at the same time, the government, which is betting everything on vaccination, suffers from the delivery failures of the AstraZeneca.
Last week, 146,000 doses were delivered, the week ahead it will be barely better with 156,000, four to five times less than expected.
"It's hard, because we do not control these jolts in terms of supply, it depends on AstraZeneca and on them alone", confides to us Professor Alain Fischer, the Government's Mr. Vaccine.
But an improvement is finally hoped for the week of April 5: there are 1.45 million doses that should arrive.
A figure, which remains "to be confirmed" according to Professor Fischer, but which would finally allow pharmacists to honor appointments.
And the government to breathe at least on this front ...