Covid-19 continues to circulate in France under the effect of several variants, including a strain of the virus nicknamed “Flirt”, which is progressing throughout Europe.
In its latest epidemiological bulletin, Public Health France confirms that all epidemiological indicators are on the rise.
Although moderate for the moment, this increase is nevertheless arousing a certain indifference, according to the conclusions of an Ipsos poll published this Thursday.
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Covid-19: life with the virus
Towards a new resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic in France this summer? The risk is present, according to the evolution of epidemiological indicators, on an upward slope, just a few weeks before the Olympics and after a long period of low activity. For the period from June 17 to 23, “all indicators are increasing, but at levels lower than those of the last two waves”underlines the latest weekly bulletin from Public Health France, published this Wednesday, June 26, mentioning a “moderate impact” at this stage on the health system.
In more detail, the actions carried out by SOS Médecins “for suspicion of Covid-19” notably jumped from 2023 to 2784 (+38%) over this period, while 2034 (+40%) Emergency visits linked to Covid-19 were recorded, compared to 1,450 during the previous week. Regarding hospitalizations linked to the virus, they increased from 543 to 770 (+42%) in this interval, including 603 patients aged over 65.
A “rise was predictable”, according to epidemiologist Mircea Sofonea
“We are facing a new wave that is starting and should last all summer,” This is how epidemiologist Antoine Flahault believes to our colleagues at The mountain, emphasizing that the latest mutations do not lead to “clinical specificities known to date” and that’“we remain with the classic flu syndrome, often associated with shortness of breath, more rarely with loss of taste and smell.”
“The rise was predictable,” Mircea Sofonea, an epidemiologist at the University of Montpellier and the University Hospital of Nîmes, had commented to AFP a few days ago. According to him, the cause was: “an immune decline” of the population, but also “an immune escape” new sub-variants of the virus, all members of the Omicron JN.1 lineage.
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“Flirt”: what is this new variant of Covid that is progressing and causing fears of a new wave?
As a reminder, a new variant of Covid nicknamed “Flirt” is gaining ground in Europe and its progression is being closely scrutinized by the scientific community, mainly due to two factors. This strain indeed seems more contagious and resistant to vaccines than the previous one, raising fears of a significant increase in cases during the summer.
French vigilance continues to decline
In this context, health authorities and experts recall that in France, a new vaccination campaign aimed at the most vulnerable began on April 15, and call for the continuation of barrier gestures.
This is not necessarily a given if we are to believe the results of the new edition of the barometer conducted by Ipsos for Pfizer, named “Perception and behavior of the French regarding the Covid-19 epidemic” and made public this Thursday . It appears that a majority of French people (61%) feel less concerned about the virus, including populations at risk (54%). In detail, more than one in two French people consider it unnecessary to be tested when the first symptoms appear and more than four in ten French people even consider that the epidemic is over. Likewise, only 6% of French people systematically take a screening test before seeing a person at risk and only 16% of those questioned wear a mask in their presence. Even in the event of symptoms, the use of screening tests and consultation with the doctor is decreasing since 77% of French people choose to wait and observe the evolution of symptoms. Continuing this trend of trivializing the epidemic, 71% of French people and 67% of people at risk think that they have little chance of being hospitalized for a serious form of Covid-19.
