« Flirt” is gaining ground in France. This new variant of Covid-19 raises fears of a new epidemic wave this summer, as the school holidays approach and one month before the launch of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Four years after the start of the health crisis, this new mutation of the virus, in the lineage of Omicron and named “Flirt”, is being closely scrutinized by scientists because of its increased contagiousness and its resistance to vaccines.
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The risk is indeed very present, according to the evolution of epidemiological indicators. In its bulletin of Wednesday June 26, Public Health France indicates that “all indicators were increasing but were still at levels lower than those of the last two waves” over the period from June 17 to 23, which thus evokes consequences “moderate” on the French healthcare system.
The share of the virus in SOS Médecins medical procedures increased by 0.9% over the period and by 0.1% in emergency room visits. This rebound, which is noticeable in France, has also been observed since the week of June 3 to 10, when emergency room visits increased by 52% while procedures performed by SOS Médecins were also up by 51% for the same period, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Wastewater, where the presence of Sars-CoV-2 is monitored in 12 stations, also shows a clear increase in viral circulation over the past month.
A “predictable” rise
This new epidemic wave does not only concern France but several countries in Europe and also the United States. Indeed, “after a long period of low activity”, several European countries have experienced an epidemic rebound in recent weeks, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently reported.
But this rise was “predictable,” according to Mircea Sofonea, an epidemiologist at the University of Montpellier and the Nîmes University Hospital, who spoke to AFP. The cause: “an immune decline” in the population, but also “an immune escape” from the new sub-variants of the virus, all members of the Omicron JN.1 lineage, according to this expert. The Spike protein, which allows SARS-CoV-2 to penetrate the host’s cells, appears to be undergoing key mutations in these variants.
This return was illustrated by young people from mid-May in the wake of Taylor Swift’s concerts. On social networks, “swifties” – fans of the American singer – shared in numbers their positive test for Covid-19 after attending one of her four performances in France.
READ ALSO Covid-19: the figures for health measuresNothing suggests the severity of this new variant but Public Health France nevertheless recommends wearing a mask, particularly in the event of symptoms, in busy places and in the presence of vulnerable people. And caution remains in order for the Olympic Games.
