The Omicron variant is supplanting the Delta variant at lightning speed. More than 54,000 cases are recorded every day on average, up 10% over one week. 72,832 positive cases were identified in 24 hours, a new record since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to government spokesperson Gabriel Attal, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is responsible for 20% of the new infections recorded in the country. “We are entering a period of strong turbulence with the Omicron variant which results, once again, as we see in the United Kingdom, by a deluge of contaminations,” he said on Tuesday on France 2.
The number of cases recorded each day on average in the United Kingdom rose, in one week, from 52,000 to nearly 85,000. That is to say an increase of 61% between 12 and 19 December.
“What is happening in the United Kingdom and which seems to be one or two weeks in advance, so quickly, on what is happening in continental Europe, risks being for us a very important key, especially in terms of transmission, of epidemic dynamics ”, estimates epidemiologist Antoine Flahault.
It has already been proven that the Omicron variant is much more transmissible. “The Omicron variant, which was first identified in southern Africa, very quickly turned out to be much more transmissible than Delta in southern Africa, where it supplanted the other variants. South Africa, which is a country with a lot of sequencing, was able to quickly show that the Omicron variant quickly became the dominant variant there, ”recalls Antoine Flahault.
“And then when it arrived in Europe, first in the United Kingdom and then also in Denmark, we saw the same trend. That is to say that quickly, this variant becomes dominant so much it is more transmissible. So now we can quantify this increase in transmissibility which seems to be three to four times greater than that of the Delta variant. “
However, uncertainty remains as to its dangerousness, which remains difficult to assess for the moment. “When a new variant emerges, it is often young people – and in particular in France, it is very interesting to see that it is the 20-39 year olds who, today, are attacked by Omicron, analyzes the epidemiologist. And these people are not really at risk of being hospitalized. “
“It considerably skews the assessment that we may have of the virulence of this germ,” continues Antoine Flahault. Because when the young, interconnected age groups change, who go a lot to nightclubs, bars, restaurants, who go out, when these people go, in their families, find themselves transferring the virus to older age groups, then we can really assess the severity of this germ. “
And concern is mounting about a possible hospital embolism. “In the coming weeks, we will be able to see what is happening in British hospitals and then ask ourselves how to prevent such congestion if it occurs in our own hospitals, anticipates Antoine Flahault. In reality, we are faced with a phenomenon that, Christmas or not, there is anyway exchanges between the age groups in a society that functions normally. Vaccination is probably one of the dykes, one of the most effective bulwarks. “
The government also wants to set up a vaccine pass to encourage the bite. “From now on, only vaccination will be valid in the past”, declared Prime Minister Jean Castex at a press conference on Friday, December 17th.
“The good news today is that if, of course, two doses do not or do not protect well against the transmission of the virus, the three doses protect again and quite well we will say, advance the epidemiologist. In any case at least 70% and probably much more, perhaps 80% against the serious forms, estimates the epidemiologist. Two doses probably also protect well enough against severe forms. “
Why do we ultimately fear an influx into hospitals? “It is because on the one hand there are unvaccinated people, and on the other hand, it is very good as an individual to know that I am 80-90% protected but it is not 100%. That is to say that I can, of course, transmit the virus, even triple vaccinated. But even triple vaccinated, I can still end up in the hospital and even die. “
Therefore, are further restrictive measures necessary? “Today, we have a worrying dynamic of this Omicron. That is, there is an increase, a doubling of the number of cases every two or three days. And this is what we can fear today with Omicron. This is because we don’t have much time to take appropriate, appropriate measures if we take them late as we used to take them. So in this sense, it is true that we are rather in favor of taking fairly early measures, which is what the Netherlands are doing. “
“You know, the Dutch are not on the verge of saturation of their hospital system, they are even rather in the decline of the Delta variant. And so, today, not to take somewhat strong measures risks placing the country in a somewhat difficult position vis-à-vis its health system if ever we see a wave exploding from Omicron and especially from hospitalizations by Omicron. “
Music :
Titre: Cherry Picking
Author: Erothyme
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