The end of the tunnel of the Covid-19 epidemic, it will be "in the
course of 2022
", provided that enough countries are vaccinated and thanks to the drugs which should arrive at the end of the year, estimated this Wednesday the president of the Scientific Council , Jean-François Delfraissy.
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In the meantime, the professor of immunology, questioned on France 2, recommended caution with returning from vacation and back to school and deemed very likely a third dose of anti-Covid vaccines for the majority of the population.
A booster to reproduce antibodies
The revaccination "
will first concern the oldest
", due to the decline with age in the immune response to vaccines, explained Delfraissy, stressing that it will be a "
booster to re-stimulate
" production. of antibodies.
Read alsoThe High Authority for Health recommends a third dose for people over 65 and frail people
Some studies show that over time, the vaccine "
protects (still) well against severe and serious forms but less well against infection
", he recalled.
"
I think we will go to a third dose for a large part of the vaccinated population
," he said.
Despite the increase in vaccination coverage, including among 12/17 year olds whom he said he was pleasantly surprised, the immunologist called for caution, believing that the return of holidaymakers, the return to school and the weather encouraging them to stay in place. closed could "
restore a slightly higher level of contamination from the beginning of September
".
At least 40 countries vaccinated to defeat the virus
Faced with a current rate of around 25,000 new infections per day, 11,000 hospitalizations and 2,200 intensive care beds, the situation "
could be a little more difficult in the second half of September,
" he said.
He recommended even vaccinated students to maintain precautionary gestures, remembering the contaminations that left the back-to-school holidays last year.
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For the youngest children who cannot be vaccinated (less than 12 years old), he recommended better ventilation of schools, the installation of CO2 sensors.
But above all a "
very regular screening
" through saliva tests "
as is done in Germany, Austria and England
".
To see "
the end of the tunnel
" of the epidemic, he will have to wait, according to him, "in the
course of 2022
", when "
we will have the 40 or 50 large countries of the world which will have been vaccinated
". Even if it will also require "
a significant vaccination coverage in the rest of the world
" to prevent the emergence of "
new mutants and mutated viruses
".
Next to the vaccine strategy in which he "
strongly believes
", Delfraissy mentioned the first drugs which should "
be ready by the end of the year
" 2021. This "
will be a game-changer
" because as soon as symptoms appear, we can test and then treat the person for five days, to "
reduce transmission and progression to severe forms
".