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| Covid-19: hospitalizations on the rise, resuscitation in reflux |
In summary :
- Jean Castex unveiled the schedule for easing health restrictions. End of the gauges on February 2, as well as the wearing of a mask and compulsory teleworking. And on February 16, reopening of nightclubs and resumption of standing concerts.
- The vaccination pass, subject to its validation by the Constitutional Council, will come into force on Monday. On the same day, the booster dose will be extended to all adolescents aged 12 to 17, added the Prime Minister.
- Hospitalizations and contaminations still on the rise, but the number of patients in critical care services continues to drop slightly, according to official figures released Thursday evening.
- After the adoption on Saturday of the bill transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass, deputies from all sides filed two referrals to the Constitutional Council. The wise men must render their decision tomorrow.
9:41 p.m.
Hospitalizations on the rise, resuscitation in reflux. Hospitalizations and contaminations still on the rise, but the number of patients in critical care services continues to drop slightly, according to official figures released Thursday evening. In the past 24 hours, 425,183 people have tested positive, compared to 436,167 the day before, according to data published by Public Health France. This brings the average over the past seven days to 337,192 daily cases, compared to 309,433 the previous Thursday. This calculation helps to smooth out the differences observed from one day to the next, often artificially created by data collection problems.
The critical care services, which receive the most serious cases, had 3,842 Covid patients on Thursday (including 301 admissions), against 3,852 the day before and 3,939 the previous Thursday. A figure that continues to decline slightly. But the total number of hospitalized patients reached 27,931, of which 3,053 were admitted in the past 24 hours. The previous Thursday, 24,154 people were hospitalized. A figure that has been rising steadily since the start of the year as contamination soars.
7:40 p.m.
Asked about the BA.2 variant observed in Denmark and the United Kingdom, Olivier Véran the Minister of Health recalls that he "would be part of a subgroup of the Omicron variant and does not change the situation". The BA.2 went under the magnifying glass of CheckNews, which deciphers the risks of the newcomer. To date, the variant has been identified in forty countries, including Denmark. Biologist Florence Débarre points out that “the fact that in Denmark, BA.2 has taken precedence over BA.1 [the current omicron], suggests that it is even more transmissible”. There are not yet consolidated data on the possible immune escape of this virus (its lesser recognition by the antibodies acquired after vaccination or a previous infection), nor on the severity of the induced Covid cases. According to Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College, “the very first observations from India and Denmark suggest that there is no dramatic difference in severity compared to BA.1.” In France, less than twenty cases of BA.2 have been identified.
7:30 p.m.
A suspended vaccination pass in the event of improvement. In conclusion to his speech, Jean Castex recalls that “the government has a full range of tools that the law allows us to activate until the end of July”. But until then, the vaccine pass could be stored in the cellar. “It could be completely suspended if the epidemic and hospital pressure could be reduced significantly”, assures the Prime Minister.
Covid-19: hospitalizations on the rise, resuscitation in reflux
The government is considering a lighter protocol in schools in mid-February. If the health situation were to improve, “we will be able to consider on the return from the February school holidays a reduction in the school protocol, on the wearing of a mask in elementary schools or on the number of tests and self-tests to be carried out” list the Prime Minister.
7:24 p.m.
On February 16, reopening of nightclubs and resumption of standing concerts. Second stage of relief: February 16. From this date, “we will lift the other measures” assures Castex. Thus, nightclubs, closed since the beginning of December, will be able to reopen, standing concerts will be able to resume and standing consumption in bars will again be authorized. Just like food in cinemas, stadiums and transport.
7:19 p.m.
End of the gauges on February 2, as well as the wearing of a mask and compulsory teleworking. First stage of the relief, the cultural and sports equipment “which welcomes the seated public will be able to find a functioning in full capacity without gauge”, indicates Castex. February 2 will also mark the end of the obligation to wear a mask outdoors. Measure implemented on December 31. Last reduction from February 2, teleworking at least 3 days a week will no longer be compulsory. “However, it will remain recommended, with companies taking care to maintain the right level within the framework of internal social dialogue.”
7:16 p.m.
First relief at the beginning of February. “The evolution of the situation allows us to envisage an easing of the constraints from the first days of February” affirms Castex. The vaccination pass will come into force on Monday January 24 "subject to the decision of the Constitutional Council" "All French people aged 16 and over must provide proof of a complete vaccination schedule to go to a restaurant, to a stadium or to take the train," said the Prime Minister.
The booster dose will be extended to all adolescents aged 12 to 17 from Monday. Before getting down to presenting the timetable for the easing of restrictive measures, the Prime Minister takes a few minutes to praise the government's record and especially the vaccine. "A fully vaccinated person has four and a half times less risk of catching Covid and, above all, 25 times less risk of being hospitalized in critical care, with serious forms, compared to an unvaccinated person", presents Castex. “Vaccination was a game-changer.”
6:58 p.m.
Jean Castex announces that the vaccine pass will come into force on Monday : "I want to tell you what the encouraging developments are that are beginning to take shape". The Prime Minister begins his press conference with some semblance of good news. Despite a “still difficult” situation, Jean Castex assures that if “this exceptional wave is not over […], the situation is developing more favorably”. If this movement is confirmed, he announces a lifting of the restrictive measures “during February”. And to add: "The wave extended by the omicron variant is starting to stall in the regions where this variant hit first at the end of December."
6:50 p.m.
More than 525,000 people tested positive on Monday. New record of daily contaminations : by PCR or antigen test, more than half a million people declared themselves positive for Covid-19 on Monday.
6:38 p.m.
The three reasons why the fifth wave linked to the omicron variant is different, according to the Scientific Council. First, a very high transmissibility of the variant which explains that 9 to 14 million French people could have already been infected since its emergence at the beginning of December 2021. Second: a lower severity of clinical forms. And thirdly: high vaccination coverage, with limited vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infections in the absence of a booster dose, but maintained against severe and severe forms.
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