Hello,
"
We are choosing to reconcile freedom and responsibility,
" said Olivier Véran on Thursday, excluding the use of confinement or curfew. After a Defense Council held yesterday, the Minister of Health specified the measures decided by the government to deal with the fifth wave of the epidemic: extension of the booster dose to all adults five months after the last injection and integration of this into the health pass, return of the compulsory mask in all establishments subject to the health pass and finally, limitation of the validity of the tests.
Will this device be enough to preserve the hospital from saturation and save Christmas?
Hopefully if the booster dose succeeds in increasing the effectiveness of the vaccine and if the new antivirals expected in December keep their promises.
Good reading,
Camille Lestienne, journalist at
Le Figaro
1. The executive relies on the vaccine, test, mask triptych
Health Minister Olivier Véran spoke on Thursday to detail the measures taken by the government to contain the fifth wave in France POOL / REUTERS
Vaccine.
Health Minister Olivier Véran spoke on Thursday to detail the measures taken by the government to contain the increase in contamination in France. The executive is focusing above all on vaccination by expanding the third dose to all adults from November 27. A measure already approved by 72% of French people. On Wednesday, appointments for a booster dose on Doctolib broke records with nearly 360,000 slots reserved. This booster dose can be done from five months after the last injection and within two months to maintain the validity of the health pass from January 15. Vaccination of children aged 5 to 11, optional, is planned from 2022.
Read also Covid-19: France ready to relaunch in a vaccination campaign
Test.
The negative test that activates the health pass will only be valid for 24 hours compared to 72 hours previously.
It remains profitable despite political pressure for a return to free education for all.
The Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer has, moreover, announced the end of automatic class closures when a positive case is detected.
The pupils will, on the other hand, all be tested.
Mask
.
The Minister of Health recalled the usefulness of barrier gestures, hydroalcoholic gel, ventilation and wearing a mask.
This will be compulsory from tomorrow in all covered places subject to the health pass.
Also outside, by decision of the prefects, for certain events such as Christmas markets where the health pass will also be required.
Read alsoCan the health pass be required in political meetings?
Focus on the third dose.
The decision to expand the 3rd dose and reduce the time limit follows the recommendation of the High Authority for Health published this morning. It is based on projections from the Institut Pasteur, which assess the reduction in the peak of hospitalizations to 39% if the booster is done 6 months after the last injection, and to 50% if the booster is done at 5 months. This is therefore a way of countering the proven decrease in vaccine efficacy after a few months. "
At this stage, we can say that the third dose will boost protection against infection, but we are unable to say whether it will do so permanently, or temporarily,
" reports epidemiologist Anne-Claude Crémieux.
On the business side.
The return of teleworking is ultimately not on the agenda.
A track that worried Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, the boss of Medef.
The majority of companies want to manage the pandemic without strict measures.
Most of them have introduced a telework dose that can be adjusted according to the health situation.
Rather, the time has come for a reminder of barrier gestures and vigilance against the backdrop of the threat of a strengthening of controls agitated by the Minister of Labor Élisabeth Borne.
Restaurants, too, are tightening the screw, again imposing a control of the health pass a little forgotten lately.
2. A “dazzling” fifth wave
With the fifth wave of Covid, the Christmas period could be difficult in the hospital.
BENOIT TESSIER / REUTERS
What is the situation?
With more than 30,000 daily cases, an incidence rate increased from 100 to 164 in a week, "
the fifth wave is starting with a dazzling start,
" Gabriel Attal noted on Sunday. Jean-François Delfraissy, the president of the Scientific Council, predicted him at the hospital "not easy weeks around Christmas". The peak would be higher than at the end of August (around 900 hospitalizations per day on average weekly) but "
much more limited
" than that of the third wave (more than 2,100 mid-April), he qualified before the order of pharmacists. We can "
by keeping the current parameters, estimate that there will be around 3000 people in intensive care at Christmas
", for his part, explains to
Le Figaro.
epidemiologist Martin Blachier.
A large number but which remains clearly below the hospital capacity.
The tests, finally, are up sharply reaching almost, last week, the level observed at the time of the end of the free service, in mid-October.
Read also Are there fewer hospital beds than at the start of the Covid-19 crisis?
The figures to remember in France
1,483
patients in critical care (+28 since the day before)
8765
hospitalized patients (+240 since the day before)
32,591
new cases detected in 24 hours (against 20,294 last Wednesday)
81
deaths in 24 hours (118,705 deaths since the start of the epidemic)
Source: Public Health France as of November 24
3. Vaccinated but contaminated
Double-vaccinated Prime Minister Jean Castex tested positive for Covid-19.
JOHN THYS / AFP
Why this fifth wave when we are vaccinated?
Prime Minister Jean Castex, doubly vaccinated and tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, alone embodies the question everyone is asking.
Le Figaro
make the point. Many combined elements explain it: the more contagious Delta variant and reduced vaccine effectiveness - according to the WHO, because of the Delta variant, vaccines today only reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19 to 40 % against 60% previously - relaxation of barrier gestures, winter weather. In addition, some people respond poorly to the vaccine, which was expected, and another 10% of those over 12 are not vaccinated. Severe cases, however, are much less frequent than last fall. The hospitalization curve is no longer correlated with that of contaminations. "
No one thinks anymore that it is possible to prevent this virus from circulating.
On the other hand, we can hope to arrive at a situation where the nuisance power of this virus will be very low by protecting the most vulnerable by vaccination
”, summarizes Marie-Paule Kieny, president of the Vaccine Committee.
The figures to remember in France
51.8 million
people received a first dose (76.8% of the population).
50.7 million
French people have a complete vaccination schedule (75.2% of the population).
6.1 million
booster doses administered.
Source: Directorate General of Health as of November 24
A new vaccine.
Novavax's protein vaccine is expected to arrive in Europe soon. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started examining the American biotech dossier and could decide "
within a few weeks
". Other studies are underway to assess its effectiveness as a booster dose. “
Protein vaccines can be very interesting as“ boosters ”, as other vaccine strategies have shown in the past,
confirms
Jean-Daniel Lelièvre, a vaccination specialist and Inserm researcher in
Figaro
.
They also have the advantage of reassuring people reluctant to vaccination.
. "
The latter are numerous in Guadeloupe where caregivers oppose the vaccination obligation.
The government has pledged to provide them with Covid-19 vaccines without messenger RNA.
An announcement that will not be enough to calm the spirits in the West Indies plagued by chaos and violence.
Read alsoCrispation around the vaccination of nursing staff in overseas territories
4. The new weapon of antivirals
MSD's molnupiravir, marketed under the name Lagevrio, is expected to be available in France in December for people with co-morbidities.
MERCK & CO INC / REUTERS
New treatments
. By mid-December, French doctors will have the opportunity to prescribe the first effective treatments to limit severe forms of Covid, preserve the hospital and prevent deaths. The antivirals developed by the Americans Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) and Pfizer should be taken soon after the onset of symptoms, to quickly reduce the amount of virus produced by the body and to block the switch in the second phase of the Covid to the origin of hospitalizations.
"These curative molecules do not replace preventive vaccines,"
specifies Mylène Ogliastro, vice-president of the French Society of Virology.
But they have an interest for fragile people, such as the immunocompromised,who respond poorly to vaccination. ”
Read alsoFifth wave: at the hospital, "we are concerned about the risk of overflow"
5. Pass and masks
Health pass.
The health pass is required to go to places of culture and leisure accommodating more than 50 people (cinema, theater, concerts, festivals, etc.). The same goes for restaurants, bars, indoors and outdoors, in trains, buses and planes, retirement homes and medical establishments. Places of worship are not affected. It is compulsory to go to shopping centers of more than 20,000 m², if the incidence rate of the department is greater than 200. Since September 30, young people aged 12 to 17 are also subject to it. As a reminder, the health pass is not a vaccination certificate. For it to be valid, you must either be fully vaccinated (with a booster dose at most seven months after the last injection from January 15),either present a negative PCR or antigen test of less than 24 hours or proof of cure (a positive test) of more than 11 days and less than 6 months. It is in the form of a QR code stored in the TousAntiCovid application or in paper format.
Read also Health pass: instructions for use, people concerned, penalties ... What you need to know about the law definitively adopted
Wearing a mask
is always compulsory in enclosed places subject to the health pass and outside when distancing is not possible (markets, queues, station platforms, etc.).
Some municipalities or departments have reimposed the mask outdoors.
From November 15, it is again compulsory for children in primary schools located in all departments regardless of the incidence rate.
Read also Covid-19: the map of the departments which reimpose the wearing of the mask outdoors
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 alsoCovid-19: where can we travel?
Our map of countries open to French tourists
6. 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
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
7. What to do in case of symptoms?
The disease manifests itself with 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.
If the test is positive,
isolation should last 10 days from the first symptoms.
Read alsoFifth wave of Covid-19: what to do when you are "in contact"?
See you next week.
