Arnaud Fontanet.

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Jacques Witt / SIPA

A "surge" of the Covid-19 epidemic is likely in March, with the arrival in France of new variants of the coronavirus, estimated this Sunday the epidemiologist member of the Scientific Council Arnaud Fontanet.

“The scenarios show that we should be able to hold out until March.

Unfortunately, compared to the variants, which are really a game changer for this epidemic, I have no rational argument to tell you that we are not going to experience a progression of the epidemic that could start in March- April ”, he explained during

Le Grand Jury

RTL-LCI-

Le Figaro

.

"Before the variant begins to speak for itself - and according to the scenarios we have today, it is rather in March that its outbreak should be felt - well we must empty these beds. hospitals and these resuscitation beds, ”he added.

He recalled that the United Kingdom, before the appearance of a variant in November, had more or less under control of the epidemic, which is no longer the case today.

No post-Christmas recovery

In France, "there has been no resumption of the epidemic as severe as what we feared after the end of the year holidays, but there is still a small increase which is not trivial" , noted Arnaud Fontanet.

"What is really annoying is that we start with a very high level of bed occupancy at the end of the second wave," he said.

"And suddenly we do not have much room for maneuver if the epidemic starts again".

He did not advocate immediate containment.

"It's good to try to do everything in order not to go towards confinement, which is still an extremely heavy measure at the economic and social level.

Keeping in mind, however, that the earlier the measures are taken, the more effective they are, so there is a dilemma ”, explained this epidemiologist.

Objective 100% vaccinated

According to him, in the absence of effective treatment, the proportion of French people being vaccinated against Covid-19 should be as high as possible if time confirms that the various vaccines are safe.

“For me it should be 100%.

As long as we know that the vaccine works, and that the vaccine has no adverse effects, why deprive it?

".

Because to stop the circulation of the virus, "it will be necessary to reach larger populations", he detailed.

"Now that we know that these variants are ultimately more transmissible than the virus we knew, that also means that the vaccination coverage will have to be greater than what we anticipated until now", according to this doctor who advises the government.

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