INFO EUROPE 1
In France, six cases of coronavirus have been reported for the moment and are still hospitalized in Paris and Bordeaux. The general direction of health specified last Thursday that the sixth patient is a liberal doctor of the Paris region, contaminated by a Chinese tourist, without more details. The information collected by Europe 1 makes it possible to retrace its course, which raises questions.
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In contact with a coronavirus case on January 23, he reported on January 28
This liberal doctor practices at SOS 92, mainly in consultations at the homes of patients residing in the Hauts-de-Seine sector. On January 23, at the Samu's request, he was sent to visit a hotel in Châtenay-Malabry. Reason for the consultation: two Chinese tourists, from Taiwan, cough and are in a feverish state. These two patients, not coming from Wuhan and having no fever, cannot therefore be considered as suspect cases by the Samu.
Once there, the doctor makes a classic consultation and examines the two women. A third person, the translator of these tourists, is also in the room. The doctor goes back to his consultations, and the story could have ended. But on January 28, five days later, the Chinese authorities warn France that the translator, returning to her country, is indeed a confirmed case of coronavirus.
The doctor of SOS 92, who at that time had a fever of 38 degrees, was warned. He then places himself in solitary confinement until his transfer to the hospital.
Thirty patients contacted by the French public health agency
Since the confirmation of this case (formalized on January 30), the French public health agency is carrying out, as always, a careful investigation to identify all the people who have been in contact with the doctor. The agency notably called the thirty patients examined between January 23 and 28.
So has there been a failure in the alert chain put in place by the authorities to identify suspect cases as soon as possible? A priori no, but perhaps it will be necessary to review the criteria that trigger the alert. For example, expanding the area of provenance in China (not just Wuhan, the center of the epidemic), or even that the patient should not systematically have a fever.
But authorities, like scientists, learn a little more every day about this virus and in particular about the possible contagiousness during the incubation period (between the time of infection and the appearance of the first symptoms). To date, scientists believe that contagion could be possible only in the 24 hours preceding the first signs of the disease. According to an infectious disease specialist contacted by Europe 1, the risk for patients that the infected doctor saw during his incubation is therefore very low, but not zero.