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Coronavirus, what you need to know this week: weekend confined but not for all

2021-03-04T07:49:39.434Z


The government is due to announce new restrictive measures tonight but opens the door to a return to normal life in a few weeks.


Dear readers,

You know, Thursday is ...?

Government press conference.

Tonight

at 6 p.m.

, the French will know, depending on where they live, what their next weekend will look like.

Confined as in the municipalities of the Alpes-Maritimes coast and Dunkirk or with more graduated measures?

Ile-de-France

can already breathe, the region would escape it.

To put an end to this alternation of relaxation and restrictions, the government is still

banking

on

the acceleration of vaccination

and hopes for a "

return to a more normal life

" in mid-April.

And when we want to stay on the side of the half-full glass, we also look in the direction of the

treatments

.

Good reading,

Camille Lestienne, journalist at

Le Figaro

.

1. New departments confined on weekends?

The people of Nice are prohibited from swimming on weekends.

VALERY HACHE / AFP

See you Thursday, 6 p.m.

Once again, France is suspended from the press conference on Thursday evening.

After a week of consultations with local elected officials, the last arbitrations were taken by the Defense Council on Wednesday and will be unveiled this evening.

Among the municipalities of the 20 departments placed under surveillance last week, which will suffer the same fate as Dunkirk and Nice confined this weekend?

According to an Odoxa Backbone Consulting survey, for

Le Figaro,

the French are in favor of new local confinements, but doubt their effectiveness.

Information has already filtered yesterday.

Only the Pas-de-Calais would be concerned while the Île-de-France, however in the viewfinder, would escape it.

For the time being.

Last warning before re-containment

”, warns the government, which should still announce stricter gauges in shops.

For the president of the Ile-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, guest of the RTL-Le Figaro-LCI “Grand Jury” on Sunday, we need, above all, a reinforcement of teleworking, an acceleration of vaccination in the areas most affected by the pandemic and the in place of massive testing in schools.

However, saliva tests are already struggling to set up, due to a lack of staff.

The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, who has refuted any idea of ​​strict confinement, for her part offers outdoor classes.

An idea that does not convince.

Read also: Covid-19: Germany eases restrictions earlier than expected

We will face more trials, it's true.

But for the first time, a return to more normal lives is in sight.

Gabriel Attal, government spokesperson

Thinning for mid-April?

The figures for the disease are still high with nearly 27,000 cases detected in 24 hours and 3,637 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

But whatever the degree of the constraints added this evening, the government wants to give hope to the French.

After Emmanuel Macron's statements asking the French to hold out for another 4 to 6 weeks, Gabriel Attal spoke on Wednesday of "a return to a more normal life" perhaps for mid-April.

A way to re-motivate the population suspected of relaxing the barrier gestures after the scenes of gatherings in the parks and on the quays on Sunday.

It has a name: "pandemic fatigue", explains researcher Jocelyn Raude.

Read also: Covid-19: a return to "a more normal life" perhaps mid-April, is this credible?

2. Effective vaccines to get rid of the epidemic

Vaccination in general practitioners has been authorized for a week.

FRED SCHEIBER / AFP

Speed ​​up vaccination ...

"We are old but we do not want to die"

chanted angry octogenarians last Friday in Bordeaux denouncing the multiple blockages in vaccination centers.

The government, however, wants to speed up the pace of vaccination.

By the end of March, 9 million doses must have been delivered.

A milestone that could be reached thanks to the expansion of the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine to over 65s and the collaboration of pharmacists, nurses and midwives who will soon be able to participate in the vaccination campaign.

Since last week already, the vaccine can be administered by general practitioners in their office.

A difficult start with only 120,000 injections and patients still reluctant to use AstraZeneca's product.

“Our secretary, dedicated to recruiting patients for vaccination, tells us that she makes twenty calls for a registrant

, reports a doctor interviewed by

Le Figaro.

But shouldn't the example come from the nursing staff themselves?

According to figures from Public Health France, only 34% of physicians from the Public Assistance - Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP) and

"between 16 and 17% of other staff (paramedical, technical, administrative, etc.)"

received at least one dose to date.

To counter this mistrust, some would like to open “

the debate on compulsory vaccination for caregivers

”.

It would be very premature and, I think, unrealistic to think that we are going to end this virus by the end of the year.

Dr Michael Ryan, WHO Director of Emergency Operations

... to get out of it.

The vaccination of populations against Covid-19 is however crucial.

First, the vaccines seem to be very effective.

In Israel, where more than half of the population received a first dose, a very large study confirmed the effectiveness of Pfizer's vaccine at 94%.

Two others have been carried out in the United Kingdom, where more than 20 million people have also benefited from a first injection and find a very clear limitation of the transmission of the virus to those vaccinated.

Another good news: according to epidemiologist Simon Cauchemez, who has just published a model of the impact of vaccines on the epidemic, vaccination would reduce hospitalizations by 28%.

So why did one of the directors of the WHO, Dr Michael Ryan, say that we cannot 'end this virus' by the end of the year?

An assertion deciphered by journalist Alexis Feertchak in charge of "fact-checking" at

Le Figaro

.

What needs to be understood,” he

explains, “

is that ending the deadly consequences of the epidemic, with the epidemic itself and with the virus are three different things.

"To go faster and bypass the vaccine supply difficulties, some Central European countries have also chosen to turn to Russian or Chinese vaccines, not approved by the European Medicines Agency.

To read also: François Heisbourg: "The coronavirus is a Chinese Chernobyl to the power of ten"

3. In the hospital, the risk of contamination

Despite the protective measures, Covid-19 has become the first nosocomial disease in French hospitals.

ERIC GAILLARD / REUTERS

Contaminated in the hospital.

"The hospital killed my father."

The accusation is violent and yet the testimonies accumulate on these patients admitted to the hospital for another affection and died of Covid-19.

Some even postpone treatment for fear of contagion.

And the figures confirm the fears: last year, Covid-19 became the first nosocomial disease in France.

In 57% of cluster cases studied by Public Health France, the patient was the source of the contamination;

in 34% it was a professional and in 6% a visitor.

If the situation seems to stabilize for a few days, it remains worrying, recognizes an official.

To counter this risk, even asymptomatic infected professionals must now self-isolate for seven days, which was not the case before.

But the best solution is still the vaccination of nursing staff, which is still too insufficient (see above).

Read also: Deaths of Covid-19: when the families of victims denounce a "sorting" in the hospital

Treatments that raise questions.

Last week, the executive announced it was betting on monoclonal antibody treatments.

Some scientists, however, question the effectiveness of bamlanivimab developed by the Eli Lilly laboratory and point to the fragility of the data.

Worse still, this treatment could promote the appearance of new variants.

A risk which could however be countered by the use of two antibodies used in bitherapy.

Another lead was mentioned by the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran: inhaled interferon.

A clinical trial is underway in France to test its effectiveness in preventing severe forms of the disease.

4. To know everything about vaccines

To find out the latest information on vaccines against Covid-19, the progress of the vaccination campaign, the calendar, the specifics of the vaccines, the side effects,

Le Figaro

invites

you to visit its regularly updated article.

Read also:

Should or not be vaccinated against Covid?

A little guide for the undecided

5. Curfew, instructions for use

Partly deconfined, France has been under curfew

since December 15

.

It is possible to move around freely during the day but leaving your home is prohibited

between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

, under penalty of a fine of 135 euros.

A schedule imposed on the entire metropolitan territory

since January 16.

There are

exceptional reasons

for which a certificate must be presented.

  • Business trips.

  • Consultations and care

  • Travel for imperative family reasons.

  • Travel for people with disabilities and their companions.

  • Judicial or administrative summons.

  • Participation in missions of general interest

  • Travel related to transit

  • Short trips for the needs of pets.

Read also: Curfew certificate at 6 p.m.: download the paper or smartphone form

Since January 31,

France's

borders

with countries outside the European Union have been closed.

Travel outside the European area and to the French overseas departments and territories is only authorized for very specific personal, medical and professional reasons, death of a loved one, health reasons, professional reasons, etc.

The

Figaro

travel service

gives you the details.

To read also: In Europe, outside Europe: what are the “compelling reasons” that make it possible to travel?

Since February 27, the coastal towns in the

Alpes-Maritimes department

and the city of

Dunkirk

have been confined at weekends.

Read also: Alpes-Maritimes, Dunkirk: what is prohibited, what remains authorized on weekends due to the Covid

6. Reflexes to keep

A few simple steps can limit the spread of the virus.

Here they are :

  • Wash your hands every hour or use hydroalcoholic gel

  • Cough or sneeze into the crease of your elbow

  • Use disposable tissues

  • Avoid kissing or shaking hands

  • Wear a mask in public spaces when respect for physical distances is not guaranteed.

Covid-19 is transmitted by droplets (respiratory secretions), by close contact with an infected person, especially when the latter coughs or sneezes.

But it can also be transmitted through the air.

The virus also remains viable for a few hours on different surfaces.

The disease manifests itself in several symptoms.

In 9 out of 10 cases, this results in a fever below 39 ° C.

According to the World Health Organization, this fever is most often accompanied by fatigue, signs of shortness of breath and a dry cough.

Often a loss of smell and taste.

7. What to do in case of symptoms?

The most important thing is to get tested.

According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, you should, in case of symptoms, stay at home and contact your doctor who will prescribe a test.

While waiting for the result, you must isolate yourself, wear a mask and prepare a list of people you could have infected.

If the test is positive

, the Primary Health Insurance Fund will contact people likely to be infected.

You must then remain isolated for at least 8 days, taking care not to infect your loved ones.

Watch your health.

In case of fever, take paracetamol.

If necessary, schedule a follow-up remote consultation with your doctor.

If you feel that you are having difficulty breathing, call 15.

If the test is negative

, contact your doctor and follow his instructions.

See you next week.

Source: lefigaro

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