Hello,
With more than 20,000 new cases in 24 hours, the doubt is no longer in place. "
We are in the fourth wave
", confirmed Wednesday on TF1, the Prime Minister. Faced with
the explosion of contaminations
, the government is playing its game before the National Assembly. In a stormy atmosphere, the deputies have been examining since Tuesday the expansion of the
health pass
and the vaccination obligation of caregivers. In the meantime, we are jostling in the
vaccination centers
with nearly 5 million slots reserved in a week. On the other side of the globe, in
Australia
, the zero Covid strategy is starting to tire French expatriates stranded far from their families. In Europe, while
tourism
remains weighed down by uncertainty, the British resign themselves to spending a summer on the beaches of the Channel and the North Sea.
Good reading,
Camille Lestienne, journalist at
Le Figaro
1. Where is the epidemic?
Weekly incidence rate by department of Covid-19 per 100,000 people.
7-day rolling average.
Fig Data
Here we are.
The word was in everyone's mouth for the last few days. Gabriel Attal, then Olivier Véran and finally the Prime Minister were responsible for getting the message across. Inflated by the Delta variant which now concerns 80% of cases, the fourth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic is sweeping over France. With 18,000 new cases Tuesday, 21,000 yesterday, the increase in the circulation of the virus is of the order of 150% over one week. It is “
never seen
” for the Minister of Health. The increase in the incidence rate, of more than 125%, would be downright “
stratospheric
” for Gabriel Attal. Experts interviewed by
Le Figaro
confirm: "
The circulation of the epidemic is increasing exponentially
», Analyzes Professor Anne-Claude Crémieux, infectious disease specialist at Saint-Louis hospital in Paris. The question now is whether these numbers will translate in the hospital into an increase in hospitalizations and deaths. To avoid it, "
it is necessary to vaccinate, to vaccinate, to vaccinate
", insists Professor Alain Fisher, the Mr. Vaccine of the government. This is the whole issue of the measures decided by the executive: 96% of newly infected were not vaccinated, said Wednesday Jean Castex. In the meantime, the fourth wave starts with the coastal departments and some territories more affected than others are taking braking measures. In the Pyrénées-Orientales, where the incidence rate has risen to nearly 400 cases per 100,000 inhabitants,bars and restaurants close at 11 p.m.
Read also: The unknowns of the fourth wave of Covid-19
The numbers to remember
859
patients in critical care (-17 since the day before)
6,869
hospitalized patients (-43 since the day before)
21,539
new cases detected in 24 hours
22
deaths in 24 hours (111,576 deaths since the start of the epidemic)
Source: Public Health France as of July 21
2. The health pass under discussion
At the Louvre museum in Paris, the health pass is now required.
SARAH MEYSSONNIER / REUTERS
Pass it to the Assembly.
Text explanations Wednesday on TF1. While the deputies examine the bill relating to the management of the health crisis, Jean Castex spoke to provide some clarifications. Among other things, the postponement of the deadline for applying the health pass for 12-17 year olds, the non-isolation of vaccinated people who would be in contact, the lack of a health pass at school. Encourage the population to be vaccinated while managing the explosion of contaminations, the exercise is delicate and places the executive on a ridge line, analysis Mathilde Siraud of the political service of
Figaro
.
After the Council of State validated the government's bill on Monday, the debates were lively in the National Assembly.
From the ranks of the opposition where the PS pleads for the vaccine obligation as well as within the presidential majority.
Outside, the climate is deleterious as members of En Marche are threatened with death.
The bill is highly sensitive and affects the freedoms of the French: compulsory vaccination of caregivers, extension of the health pass and compulsory isolation of positive cases.
Jean Castex assures his rear and promises to seize himself the Constitutional Council after the vote of the Parliament.
To read also: Should we lift the constraints for the vaccinated?
The first steps of the past.
On Wednesday, cultural places or sports establishments wiped the plasters of the expansion of the health pass. In cinemas, spectators favor the wearing of masks, the obligation of which has been maintained by most multiplexes. Tuesday, in fact, we learned that the mask could be removed in places requiring the medical pass. A decision poorly understood while some departments in the grip of a resumption of the epidemic make it again mandatory. The nightclubs have for their part experienced some hiccups. In Bordeaux, a cluster has been identified following several evenings in a nightclub. The control of the sanitary pass, considered too light by some participants, is called into question. Enough to give the restaurant owners a cold sweat who will have to filter the wine in August.input from their customers. Many fear the lack of time and the discontent of the repressed. To their relief, however, the Prime Minister clarified that they will not have to verify the identity of their clients. For shopping centers of more than 20,000 square meters, on the other hand, the government has remained firm and maintains the pass despite the unfavorable opinion of the Council of State. Further adjustments are expected. The Minister of Labor, Élisabeth Borne, has promised arrangements for employees who would find themselves without a health pass in positions where it will be compulsory from the end of August: RTT, days of leave, temporary suspension, reassignment.the Prime Minister clarified that they will not have to verify the identity of their customers. For shopping centers of more than 20,000 square meters, on the other hand, the government has remained firm and maintains the pass despite the unfavorable opinion of the Council of State. Further adjustments are expected. The Minister of Labor, Élisabeth Borne, has promised arrangements for employees who would find themselves without a health pass in positions where it will be compulsory from the end of August: RTT, days of leave, temporary suspension, reassignment.the Prime Minister clarified that they will not have to verify the identity of their customers. For shopping centers of more than 20,000 square meters, on the other hand, the government has remained firm and maintains the pass despite the unfavorable opinion of the Council of State. Further adjustments are expected. The Minister of Labor, Élisabeth Borne, has promised arrangements for employees who would find themselves without a health pass in positions where it will be compulsory from the end of August: RTT, days of leave, temporary suspension, reassignment.The Minister of Labor, Élisabeth Borne, has promised arrangements for employees who would find themselves without a health pass in positions where it will be compulsory from the end of August: RTT, days of leave, temporary suspension, reassignment.The Minister of Labor, Élisabeth Borne, has promised arrangements for employees who would find themselves without a health pass in positions where it will be compulsory from the end of August: RTT, days of leave, temporary suspension, reassignment.
Read also: Restaurants, shops: the sanitary pass attempt to aggregate places without restrictions on a website
3. The vaccination figures
The Prime Minister is targeting 50 million first-time vaccines at the end of August.
RAYMOND ROIG / AFP
The dynamism of vaccination
. Jean Castex said Wednesday on TF1 his objectives: the Prime Minister is targeting 40 million first-time vaccines at the end of July, 50 million at the end of August. An ambition driven by the extraordinary excitement of the vaccination campaign for a week. The prospect of the health pass and the upcoming de-reimbursement of tests have pushed at least 4.8 million French people to make an appointment for a first injection. Vaccination is now open to pregnant women from the first trimester of pregnancy. There are three medical contraindications to vaccination: PIMS syndrome, or pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, reactions like myocarditis, pericarditis and severe hepatitis after a first injection and people who are allergic to one of the components of the vaccine.While young people are the most likely to make an appointment, 15% of those over 75 have not yet received any injection. A difficulty for nursing homes where nine out of ten residents are vaccinated. Should we then apply the exclusion rules to the last recalcitrant?
Read also: Covid-19: in the United Kingdom, the disease-death link is broken
The numbers to remember
38.6 million
people received a first dose (57.2% of the population).
31.8 million
people have a complete vaccination schedule (47.2% of the population).
Source: Directorate General of Health as of July 21
4. The quote
It's been two and a half years since I saw my family in France.
And above all, we have no idea when we are going to get out of it.
Maïtena, a Frenchwoman who lives in Brisbane, Australia
The zero Covid strategy
applied with an iron
fist
by the Australian government is starting to tire some of the residents, especially French expatriates. The latter were however until now seduced by the success achieved by the country largely spared by the pandemic. But deprived of travel for a year and a half, far from their families, sometimes unable to go to the funeral of a loved one, some are beginning to be irritated by the inflexibility of Canberra. "
In Australia, politicians give me the impression of being robots, without heart, without empathy, who only look at the numbers and do not see the people behind the numbers",
one of them confides to
Le Figaro. .
With a very low vaccination rate, the situation seems inextricable.
Unless economic interests tip the scales.
Read also: United Kingdom, Portugal, Tunisia ... vaccination to the test of epidemic recovery
5. European tourism to the test of Covid
In the United Kingdom, holidaymakers fall back on the British shores.
PHIL NOBLE / REUTERS
Where to put your towel this summer?
The
Figaro
economy service
looked into the uncertain summer of tourists. Faced with the progression of the Delta variant, the tourist countries of southern Europe no longer know which way to turn. If Italy seems for the moment out of the game, Greece has been dealt a real blow. A curfew has been imposed on the island of Mykonos, other islands could follow its example. In the Iberian Peninsula, reservations are slowing down after French and German warnings. In Lisbon, only 32% of the hotel stock is occupied. The British, for their part, will not come to spend their holiday budget in the sun. While the constraints on travel have not been lifted, many have fallen back on the beaches of the English Channel and the North Sea.
Read also: Covid-19: the timid return of foreign tourists to France
6. Calendar, pass and masks
Health pass.
Since
July 21
, the health pass, already compulsory for events of more than 1,000 people and in nightclubs, is required to go to places of culture and leisure welcoming more than 50 people (cinema, theater, concerts, festivals , etc.).
Early August
, it will be requested at the entrance of restaurants and bars, inside and outside, in trains, coaches and planes, shopping centers, retirement homes and medical establishments. Employees are also affected and must have received a first injection on August 1 or perform a test every two days. Places of worship are not affected. Young people aged 12 to 17 are exempt until September 30. As a reminder, the health pass is not a vaccination certificate. For it to be valid, you must either be fully vaccinated for a week, or present a negative PCR or antigen test of less than 48 hours or proof of cure (a positive test) of more than 11 days and less than 6 month. It comes in the form of a QR code stored in theTousAntiCovid application or in paper format.
Read also: Extension of the health pass, compulsory vaccination: the calendar of Macron's announcements
Wearing a mask
is always compulsory in enclosed spaces and outdoors when distancing is not possible (markets, queues, station platforms, etc.).
Some municipalities, such as Nice or Le Touquet, have already reimposed the mask outdoors in some very busy places.
Charente-Maritime has made the same arrangements for its most frequented seaside resorts or islands as Meurthe-et-Moselle, Hérault and Vendée In cultural places where the health pass is required, it is not mandatory unless otherwise decided by the manager of the establishment or the prefect.
A certificate to travel.
Since July 1, Europeans can travel more easily within the continent thanks to certified evidence of vaccination or negative tests brought together in a single document.
In digital or paper format.
Please note, however, that each country can continue to apply specific rules.
Read also: The European health pass comes into force on July 1: all the answers to your questions
7. Reflexes to keep
The virus is transmitted by droplets and aerosols.
The barrier gestures detailed by the Ministry of Health must be observed to protect themselves and others:
Wash your hands regularly or use hydroalcoholic gel
Cough or sneeze into the crease of your elbow
Use disposable tissues
Wear a mask in public areas when the distance of two meters cannot be respected
Maintain a distance of at least two meters from others
Limit social contacts as much as possible (6 maximum)
Avoid touching your face
Air the rooms as often as possible, at least a few minutes every hour
Greet without shaking hands and stop hugging
8. What to do in case of symptoms?
The disease manifests itself in several symptoms, most often cough and fever.
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.
In the event that the test is positive, the bill relating to the management of the health crisis currently under discussion in the National Assembly provides for compulsory isolation of 10 days in the place of its choice.
Checks will be "
provided by the police over a specific time range, from 8 am to 11 pm,
" the Minister of Health said Tuesday before the Law Commission.
Read also: Test, isolation: the procedure to follow in case of suspicion of Covid-19
See you next week.