Health restrictions: “We will not be able to release everything”, warns Professor Fontanet

At the microphone of Darius Rochebin, epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet returned to the health situation he describes as “rather stable” while noting “a high level of circulation of the virus”. This Friday, France records 13,466 cases in 24 hours and has 10,816 people hospitalized – 73 less than the day before.

For the member of the Scientific Council, there is no question of loosening the bridle although the fourth wave seems under control. While President Emmanuel Macron said this Thursday in Marseille that he did not rule out an extension of the health pass beyond November 15, Professor Fontanet seems to agree in this direction on the LCI set. “We won’t be able to release everything.”

Especially since France could enter a more sensitive period in terms of health at the end of September. With the re-entry and the cooling of temperatures, the epidemiologist anticipates “an increase in the number of cases” in the next few days. What push him to repeat the need not to lower our guard in the face of the epidemic fueled by the Delta variant: “We will have to continue to control the circulation of the virus (…) We will have to apply measures that will allow us to reduce our contacts by 20 to 30%.”

According to him, the establishment of a confinement or a curfew appears “unlikely”. The extension of the health pass could be part of the solutions. “The fact that the epidemic outbreak has been controlled is thanks to the measures implemented – of which the health pass is part”, underlines Professor Fontanet, who nevertheless hopes that the constraints “don’t go too far”.

In terms of vaccination, a single watchword for the epidemiologist at the Institut Pasteur: “Progress.” While 67% of the population has received a full immunization schedule, one of the goals would be to achieve “100% of vaccinated in people over 85 years”. In addition, the professor – who chose to keep his mask on the set – wished to recall the need for barrier gestures, stating that it was now known that “the efficacy of the vaccine against the Delta variant decreases “.

If so, should a third dose be extended to the entire population? “This is the subject of a debate (…) The benefit of the third dose would be to reduce the circulation of the virus within the population”, answers the specialist. The outcome of the health crisis also remains, according to him, suspended from the circulation of new variants that could further disrupt the equation. By evoking the Mu variant, present in Latin America, the specialist is however reassuring: “It’s not an immediate danger, (…) but we can expect it to become problematic.”