According to an IFOP survey for the Pfizer laboratory, the majority of French people know the risks associated with COVID-19, but one in two do not feel concerned.
« This is a common phenomenon: everyone assesses risk subjectively, often based on their health », Explains Professor Olivier Robineau, infectious disease specialist at the Tourcoing hospital center (North).
« Complications are thought to mainly affect frail people, whereas with COVID-19 healthy people can also be affected. ».
This gap between awareness of risks and the feeling of individual concern raises an issue of awareness for the entire population.
Severe consequences
Because the impacts of COVID-19 go well beyond the initial acute symptoms. Between one month and one year after an infection, the risk of serious cardiovascular events remains high: the risk of coronary heart disease increases by 72% and cardiac arrests are 2.5 times more frequent.
Note that these data also concerned people without any cardiovascular risk factors.
But that's not all. “ The consequences of COVID-19 are very varied,” specifies Professor Robineau. “They can be pulmonary, neurological or affect other organs », explains Professor Robineau. “ For some, the infection will cause persistent fatigue, pain, or even shortness of breath that lasts for months. Furthermore, studies suggest that COVID-19 could increase the risk of developing certain chronic diseases, such as diabetes. These consequences affect hospitalized people, but especially those who have not been hospitalized. »
Prevention: barrier gestures and vaccination as protection against serious forms
According to the survey, 14% of French people say they suffer, or know someone who suffers, from the consequences of COVID-19. However, half of those surveyed do not say they are worried about this risk, and 11% do not feel any worry, thus illustrating a disconnect between collective awareness and individual concern.
With vaccination intentions of 59% among people eligible for vaccination and insufficient adherence to barrier gestures, individual and collective protection against COVID-19 remains fragile.
And yet as Professor Robineau indicates, “ The best way to avoid the consequences of COVID-19 is to protect yourself. This involves adopting barrier gestures: wearing a mask when we are sick, washing our hands, and protecting the most vulnerable around us. But also vaccination, which reduces the severity of the infection. »
In conclusion, Professor Robineau insists: “ Protecting yourself remains essential, as the effects of COVID-19 can be long-lasting, even for those who think they are safe. »
