The quarantine imposed on travelers from several Latin American countries “is a relevant measure, but you cannot block a virus 100%, whatever the measures”, declared Sunday April 18 on franceinfo Hervé Fleury, virologist, professor emeritus at CNRS and at the University of Bordeaux. It will take “perhaps take measures vis-à-vis all the areas that can contaminate us with the Brazilian variant”, in particular the island of Reunion, estimates Hervé Fleury. According to him, it is also necessary “strengthen strain surveillance in France” and “screen a lot more and sequence in stride”.
franceinfo: Can a 10-day quarantine for travelers from Latin America guarantee that the Brazilian variant is not imported?
Hervé Fleury: Certainly no. This is a relevant measure, but you cannot block a virus 100%, regardless of the measures. Moreover, it is already in France in very small percentage. But it must be done, there is no other immediate action to be taken. There has to be quarantine, isolation and surveillance. You have to maneuver like the Koreans, if I may say so, like the Koreans, like the Chinese.
“It is absolutely necessary to verify that the isolation is maintained for these patients who are infected or who are infectable by the Brazilian variant. We must be rigorous.”
Hervé Fleury, virologist
to franceinfo
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The suspension of flights from Brazil until next Saturday will be enough or should it be extended, in your opinion?
I think it will have to be extended, and there are other countries that are concerned. There are other French areas, for example Reunion Island, where I saw that there was the Brazilian variant. We may have to take measures vis-à-vis all the areas that can infect us with the Brazilian virus.
The Brazilian variant is present in France, at what level?
There are very low percentages, less than 4%, some even say it’s 0.5 or 1%. But we must watch the increase of this variant behind the British because it is much more dangerous. It is resistant to vaccines, although it is not completely resistant. Knowledge has evolved recently with a publication showing that even Pfizer and Moderna, which are the best current ones, neutralize the Brazilian variant less well. Therefore, this variant poses a problem for us due to its mutations, in particular the one called 484 which allows it to resist neutralization by vaccine constructs. Therefore, we must be extremely careful with this variant, that it does not take a large percentage in France and that our Pfizer and Moderna vaccination campaigns are not handicapped by the emergence of the Brazilian variant.
If ever this variant spreads, does that mean that we will have to modify our vaccination strategy, perhaps by injecting more than two doses of Pfizer or Moderna?
There is not just that. I think the two companies in question are already preparing a vaccine that will fit the Brazilian virus. By being active on the Brazilian variant, which is biologically and immunologically dominant, it should also be able to neutralize the other variants.
“In fact, by having a vaccine against the Brazilian variant, we should be able to have a vaccine that is always effective against the others, there is a question of strain dominance.”
Herve Fleury
to franceinfo
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As for the AstraZeneca, for questions of side effects I think it is off to a bad start for its distribution in Europe, to say the least. In addition, it is known that it does not give excellent protection against the South African variant and against the Brazilian variant. So I think it might not be the right vaccine option in Europe and here, especially in the face of the variants that are coming.
We are now told about an Indian variant. Does part of the solution go through screening test results and sequencing to spot new variants?
Strain surveillance must be strengthened in France. I think we actually need to screen a lot more and sequence in stride. The screening is now in development, the sequencing must be ensured behind to see if any other mutations. But it is true that we must develop molecular techniques for studying strains. It is in the process of being done.
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