An epidemic… of sick leave.
Faced with the resurgence of Covid-19 cases carried all over the world by the Omicron variant, "at least three more contagious", according to Olivier Véran, the authorities in many countries around the world are seeking their balance as to the duration of isolation of people infected with Sars-Cov-2.
This Wednesday, Spain reduced the duration imposed on positives from 10 to 7 days, a way to reconcile "public health" and "economic growth", according to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as the surge of contamination threatens to destabilize the local workforce.
According to some experts, Omicron has a "shorter incubation period" compared to other variants, added the minister.
Read also Covid-19: runny nose, itchy throat ... Does Omicron have any particular symptoms?
Reducing the isolation of patients in the midst of epidemic exposure may come as a surprise.
But with a very large number of contaminations, some Spanish companies are having difficulty operating normally, because of isolated contact cases, but also as the number of positive people increases.
The economic impact ... greater than that on health?
In Argentina, same observation, same measures.
The quarantine is also reduced to 7 days.
“The concern (…) in countries with vaccination coverage like ours, with the Omicron variant which is more transmissible but less lethal, is not so much the pressure on the health system but the economic impact linked to isolation. », Said Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti.
Argentina has experienced a spectacular resurgence of the pandemic in recent days, with nearly 34,000 new cases recorded on Tuesday in the last 24 hours, 10,000 more than the day before, six times more than a week ago.
The pressure on the hospital system remains relative, however, with 34% occupancy of intensive care units.
More than 73% of the 45 million Argentines have received two doses of the vaccine.
And France?
On Monday, US health authorities halved the recommended quarantine time for people positive for Covid-19.
It increases to 5 days, except if the condition of those found positive worsens.
The majority of infections occur in the two days before and three days after the onset of symptoms, authorities said in a statement.
Read alsoContact cases: vaccinated or not, exposed to Omicron ... understand everything about the new isolation rules
Many countries are converging on a shorter quarantine.
France soon?
Nothing has filtered out regarding those infected.
On the other hand, the executive must decide before Friday on the question of the duration of isolation of contact cases.
But with "208,000 new cases of Covid-19" recorded this Wednesday and "a million positive people", according to Olivier Véran, many French people are isolated, without being sick for all that.
