Hello,
For several days,
rumors have been
swirling, suspense has been building.
A year after the first confinement, will France experience another turn of the screw?
The confirmation will fall tonight at 7 p.m. during the press conference of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health.
Under the effect of variants and hospital pressure, everything suggests that
Île-de-France and Hauts-de-France will
experience increased health restrictions, on weekends or more.
Also under strain, the
AstraZeneca
laboratory is
facing a real storm when cases of thrombosis have led many European countries to suspend injections of its vaccine.
However, we would like the vaccination to advance and take advantage of this
"Digital green certificate"
presented by the European Commission in order to circulate freely within the Union.
Good reading,
Camille Lestienne, journalist at
Le Figaro
1. Variant + hospital saturation = confinement?
President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron visited the nursing staff of the Poissy / Saint-Germain-en-Laye hospital yesterday afternoon.
POOL / REUTERS
Partial re-containment.
During the traditional press conference on Thursday evening, the Prime Minister is expected to announce new health restriction measures for Île-de-France and Hauts-de-France.
The modalities, which were discussed yesterday during a tense Defense Council yesterday, however, remain to be defined.
The balance seems to tip towards containment on weekends as in the Alpes-Maritimes, Pas-de-Calais and Dunkirk.
But is this measure strong enough to empty hospitals?
According to the data collected in the territories concerned, the first effects are felt on the incidence rate (number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants) but are slow to reduce hospital pressure.
In Île-de-France, the situation is increasingly tense according to the dashboard maintained by the infographic service of
Figaro
.
Seine-Saint-Denis is the most affected, with an incidence rate of 506, well above the maximum alert threshold set at 250 by the government.
Nationally, more than 38,000 cases have been recorded in 24 hours, the highest figure since the start of the year.
In total, 4,219 Covid patients were in intensive care on Wednesday, after a higher Tuesday (4,239).
Read also: Follow the evolution of the epidemic, department by department
Hospital pressure, a yardstick
.
These are bitter caregivers that Emmanuel Macron met yesterday at the Poissy hospital.
“
We pushed the walls a bit
,” explained the head of the surgery-anesthesia-intensive care unit.
In Île-de-France, “sheaves” are discouraged.
While the number of people admitted to intensive care has passed the peak in the fall, doctors admit to being tired a year after the onset of the crisis.
The transfer of patients to other regions, decided last week, is limited.
Difficult to set up, it also faces the refusal of families who now have their say.
There is a great temptation to take a look across the Rhine, where hospital saturation has never been felt.
But if the "coronaklinik" installed in emergency in Berlin has never been used, all is not rosy in Germany.
The lack of personnel weighs on an ultimately fragile system.
Read also: Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, this part of France spared by the Covid-19
The new Breton variant
.
A French variant was expected, it appeared in Brittany at Lannion.
If the light is not yet made on its degree of dangerousness, this strain seems to escape the PCR test, which makes its monitoring complex.
The effects of variants worry the Scientific Council, which pleads for restrictive measures to contain them.
In particular the English variant.
More contagious, it would also be more dangerous.
Several scientific studies suggest a higher mortality which could thus drop from 0.6% to 0.9% of cases.
Figures to be taken with caution as it is difficult to detect asymptomatic people and thus know the total number of cases.
Read also: Covid-19: Are people with blood type A more likely to be infected?
2. The setbacks of AstraZeneca, the arrival of Johnson & Johnson
AstraZeneca vaccine in turmoil.
DADO RUVIC / REUTERS
The AstraZeneca case.
With AstraZeneca's vaccine, France hoped to speed up its vaccination campaign.
Since March 15, like general practitioners, pharmacists have been authorized to administer the vaccine to impatient French people.
Alas, the case has been in abeyance since around thirty cases of thrombosis - out of some 5 million injections - have been reported in people vaccinated in Europe.
As a precaution, a dozen European countries including France have suspended injections.
Others have decided to rule out certain lots deemed suspect.
While the WHO still recommends its use, the French government is awaiting the decision of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) which is to hold an extraordinary meeting this Thursday and give its verdict at 6 p.m.
The European regulator wants to be reassuring.
"
We are still firmly convinced that the advantages in the prevention of Covid-19, with its associated risk of hospitalization and death, outweigh the risk of these side effects
", however, has already indicated the director of the agency , Emer Cooke.
Read also: AstraZeneca, the ambitious laboratory that has become the bête noire of Europe
To read also: Tavoillot: "The suspension of AstraZeneca proves it, the policy does not manage any more to distinguish the danger and the risk"
The fourth vaccine.
Fortunately, the marketing authorization issued last week in Europe and France for Janssen's vaccine will give a little air.
Single injection and stored at the temperature of a normal refrigerator, the serum developed by the subsidiary of the American group Johnson & Johnson should arrive in France in April.
66.9% effective against moderate and severe forms of Covid-19, it is recommended by the WHO even in countries where variants circulate.
Read also: Covid-19: vaccines, essential to end the epidemic
3. A life under passport after a year of crisis
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented a draft health passport to allow the movement of travelers within the Union.
POOL / REUTERS
QR codes to get around or have lunch.
Maybe that's what awaits us.
On Wednesday, the European Commission presented its “digital green certificate”.
Quèsaco?
This document with a QR code would allow Europeans vaccinated or tested negatively or recently recovered from Covid to travel freely this summer within the Union.
Many discussions are still to be overcome as the process is not unanimous.
Another traffic aid, the self-tests are coming to France this week.
Less painful, easier to access and faster, they are already authorized in Germany, Portugal, Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In France, the QR code could also be used in restaurants.
The government presented professionals with a three-step plan to reopen restaurants.
50% gauge but also use of a QR code to track people present who may have been contaminated if a case is subsequently detected.
On the other hand, the hypothesis of a "sanitary pass" to take advantage of table service again was ruled out at this stage.
In addition, this QR code could be extended to all voluntary businesses.
The first experiments should start next week in hairdressing salons.
Read also: The crazy story of the QR code
One year of confinement
.
You will not miss this, it has been a year on March 17 since France experienced its first confinement.
In a few days a screed of lead had fallen on France.
The editorial staff of
Le Figaro
dived into their memories and yours.
“
I had done my shopping with tears in my eyes, a lump in my stomach when I saw the crowd in the shelves, the queue at the cash register, people in panic.
When I got home, I said to my father: “It's war outside”
”, a young woman still remembers today.
Distancing, barrier gestures, face-to-face and distancing ... How the Covid has turned our lives upside down, wonders the
Figaro
social service
while, more positively, the economy service took an interest in these start-ups that have transformed the crisis health success story.
Read the file: DOSSIER - Covid-19: one year of epidemic in France and around the world
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.
Since February 27, the coastal towns in the
Alpes-Maritimes department
and the city of
Dunkirk
have been confined at weekends.
Read also: Paris, Nice, Dunkirk, Le Touquet: what is prohibited, what remains authorized on weekends due to the Covid
Read also: Partial confinement in Nice and Dunkirk: download the travel certificate
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.
Read also: Test, isolation: the procedure to follow in case of suspicion of Covid-19
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.