Hello,
What will Santa Claus bring us this year? A little "
common sense
" quite simply hopes Professor Delfraissy. Respecting barrier gestures, being tested, reducing contact, being vaccinated with a
third dose
should, according to the President of the Scientific Council, allow us to take advantage of the end-of-year celebrations despite the
fifth wave
of the epidemic. The government also puts on the responsibility of the French and chooses to deprive them "only" of the dance floors. It is already too obviously for the owners of a
discotheque
. Bercy must come out of the drawer, where it was tidy, the checkbook to come to the aid of the actors of the event. And the
Omicron
variant
who panicked the world last week?
It is believed not to cause a more severe form of the disease, but its resistance to the vaccine is still in question.
Good reading,
Camille Lestienne, journalist at
Le Figaro
1. Save Christmas
Barrier gestures and a little "common sense" could save the Christmas holidays.
STEPHANE MAHE / REUTERS
Common sense under the tree…
"
The holidays can take place, but you probably have to surround them
", by limiting the number of guests, by being tested and by restricting contacts before Christmas, advised the President of the Scientific Council, Jean -François Delfraissy, Wednesday during a hearing in the Senate. This is just "
common sense
" and a little "
personal effort
". The government is on the same line. After a Defense Council Monday, the Prime Minister advocated
"vigilance"
without
"giving in to panic"
.
However, a few measures have been announced: a move to level 3 of the health protocol for primary schools, which involves wearing a mask outdoors, limiting mixing in the canteen and reduced physical activities indoors.
The government also wants to focus on teleworking,
"the target being two to three days a week".
Finally, efforts are focused on the vaccine booster, the campaign of which must be accelerated.
Fifteen million people should benefit from it before the beginning of January promised Jean Castex.
To do this, pharmacies that wish can open every Sunday in December and January.
Read also Covid-19: Can the State impose teleworking on companies?
… And a bit of
“
whatever the cost
”
.
Another measure, the closure of nightclubs for four weeks from this Friday. Faced with the incomprehension expressed by some, the decree published yesterday specifies that the “dance activities” of bars and restaurants are also concerned. As for restaurateurs and caterers, without being closed, they are subject to cascading cancellations. This is also the case of the Christmas markets canceled one after the other in front of the difficulty for the organizers to ensure the safety of the participants and the verification of the health passes. Bercy is forced to take out the checkbook and offers the return of partial activity, 100% support, and compensation for the fixed costs of companies.
Read alsoCovid-19: is the health pass really "ineffective" against the epidemic?
2. Where is the epidemic?
Weekly incidence rate of Covid-19 per 100,000 people.
Moving average over 7 days.
Fig Data
Woodpecker hunting
.
Are we nearing the peak of the fifth wave?
This is what Gabriel Attal, the government spokesperson, suggested on Tuesday, referring to "
the beginning of a slowdown in the progression of the epidemic
".
The figures, however, remain at their highest with more than 61,000 contaminations on Wednesday.
"
If we reduce our contacts, the peak of hospitalizations can be expected at the beginning of January and therefore the peak of contaminations in mid-December or at Christmas time
", analysis for
Le Figaro
epidemiologist and biostatistician Jonathan Roux.
Despite everything, will the hospital be able to hold out when many regions, including Ile-de-France last night, triggered the white plan?
The resuscitation services, without being saturated as in 2020, are already full, assure the doctors questioned by
Le
Figaro
.
The situation is usual at this time of year, but the even more glaring shortage of staff after the first waves of Covid may make the holiday season even more difficult.
Read alsoCovid-19: have children really become the heart of viral circulation?
The figures to remember in France
2426
patients in critical care (+75 since the day before)
13,044
hospitalized patients (+330 since the day before)
61,340
new cases detected in 24 hours (against 49,610 last Wednesday)
133
deaths in 24 hours in hospital, nursing homes and nursing homes (120,032 deaths since the start of the epidemic)
Source: Public Health France as of December 8
What about Omicron?
All forecasts are however suspended on the evolution of the Omicron variant.
As of Sunday, 25 confirmed cases of infection with the variant had been reported in France.
Anthony Fauci is reassuring.
The eminent scientist, who coordinates the United States' strategy to fight Covid, told AFP on Tuesday that he is "
almost certain
That the Omicron variant does not cause more severe cases of Covid-19 than Delta.
However, you have to wait two weeks to verify it completely.
Data from South Africa should not be overinterpreted, he cautioned, conceding that the new variant is highly transmissible.
In South Africa precisely, the number of contaminations soars with 11,125 new cases daily.
But at Tshwane hospital, at the epicenter of the epidemic, few patients needed oxygen: only 20% of people hospitalized required respiratory assistance.
3. The efficacy of the vaccine against Omicron in question
Pfizer is working on a serum suitable for the Omicron variant.
ERIC GAILLARD / REUTERS
Resistance?
The main question asked by Omicron is its resistance to the vaccine.
If the WHO says that there is "no reason to doubt" the current vaccines against Omicron, the co-founder of the company BioNTech has, for his part, joined the CEO of Moderna in his analysis and agreed that the new variant
"has strong chances of escaping the defenses of the immune system ”.
All is not lost, however, because the drop in antibody levels in the vaccinated will not necessarily translate into a loss of effectiveness of the vaccines to avoid serious cases.
Especially since the booster dose should result in an improvement in vaccine effectiveness, according to experts.
Read alsoCovid-19: studies report a decrease in the effectiveness of vaccines against Omicron
A 4th dose?
"
A third dose provides a level of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron similar to that observed after two doses
" for the other variants, for its part, affirmed the laboratory Pfizer / BioNTech. The latter, however, is working on the development of a serum suitable for Omicron expected in March. “
I sometimes hear that the Covid vaccination is two injections plus a booster. [...] I do not know
, moreover recognized Jean-François Delfraissy in front of the senators. “
Maybe we'll need a fourth,
” he added. In the meantime, the doctor encourages the French to take their booster dose and if possible, for those over 30, with Moderna serum.
"If we only use Pfizer, we will not have enough doses because the orders are
gone," he warned.
"
These vaccines are interchangeable in vaccine strategies throughout the world, it is the same mechanism, the same level of efficacy and safety",
assures
Le Figaro
Pierre Parneix, hygienist and public health officer at Bordeaux University Hospital.
Read also Omicron: the battle plan of the labs against the variant
The figures to remember in France
52.2 million
people received a first dose (77.4% of the population).
51.1 million
French people have a complete vaccination schedule (75.8% of the population).
12.3 million
booster doses administered.
Source: Ministry of Health as of December 8
4. And elsewhere?
Against the Covid-19 epidemic, Boris Johnson has resolved to trigger "plan B" in the United Kingdom.
POOL / REUTERS
UK.
Boris Johnson triggers "plan B".
The Prime Minister announced Wednesday a tightening of the restrictions, including the return to telework from Monday and the introduction of the vaccine passport for certain large gatherings.
Johnson said the Omicron variant was spreading faster than expected and
"much faster than the previous Delta variant"
.
Austria.
For the second year in a row, the grand ball of the Vienna Opera has been canceled.
The big social gathering will be held on February 24.
"
The Opera ball is par excellence the kind of event for which the limitation of contacts is impossible
", justified the Secretary of State Ecologist for Culture Andrea Mayer.
Austria must gradually come out of containment on Sunday.
Read also Covid-19: Has France reacted better to the pandemic than Germany?
Spain.
Spanish health authorities authorized the vaccination against Covid-19 for children aged 5 to 11 on Tuesday from December 15.
“
At present, children under 12 are the age group with the highest cumulative incidence of Covid-19 cases,
” recalls the Ministry of Health.
United States.
The American authorities asked their nationals on Monday to avoid visiting a dozen countries including France and Portugal.
Portugal, which has the highest vaccination coverage rate in Europe (87% of the total population), had reinstated epidemic control measures last week (wearing a mask, health pass), while launching a new vaccination campaign with a forced march.
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 department's incidence rate 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,December 15 for those over 65), 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.
Since November 15, it is again compulsory for children in primary schools located in all departments regardless of the incidence rate and since December 7 both outside and inside.
To read also Covid-19: the map of the departments which reimpose the wearing of the mask outside
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 alsoWhere can we travel?
Our map of open countries and restrictions for 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,
the 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.