The British variant of covid-19 continues to spread in France and would concern one in 10 carriers of the coronavirus in Île-de-France.

Many scientists are worried about the contamination figures which are panicking again.

They demand a tightening of sanitary measures.

The English variant of Covid-19 represents nearly 10% of cases detected in Ile-de-France for two weeks, which augurs well for an upcoming "very significant" increase in the number of patients, doctors from the Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP).

The analysis of 1,080 positive PCR tests, carried out between January 11 and 21 in eight screening sites in Ile-de-France, concluded that 9.4% correspond to the English variant, said Prof. Anne-Geneviève Marcelin, virologist at La Pitié- Salpêtrière, during a press conference.

"These results should be taken with caution" but confirm "a tendency to increase this variant", she added.

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A rate of 1 to 2% at the national level was observed after a first national "flash survey" on more than 10,000 PCR positive on January 7 and 8.

A second is due to start on Wednesday.

Reproduction rate continues to climb

The "intermediate" study carried out in Ile-de-France "corresponds quite well to the models which were made by the Pasteur Institute", underlined Ms. Marcelin, recalling that the organization was counting on a range of 2 to 12% at the start February, then 12 to 64% at the beginning of March.

"We are at an inflection point", noted Professor Frédéric Batteux, head of the immunology department at Cochin hospital, observing that the reproduction rate of Covid-19 "has risen above 1.2" and keep going up.

With an English strain "40 to 60% more contagious", he said he expected "a very significant increase when this variant takes over."

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Red indicators

At Paris Hospitals, the indicators linked to Covid are already all in the red: calls to the Samu, emergency room visits and SOS Médecins consultations have all jumped by more than 30% since the start of the year, has t -He specifies.

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In three weeks, the daily rate of hospitalizations increased from 50 to 70 per day, and intensive care admissions from 15 to 25. "The situation is worrying" and "looks a lot like an exponential", insisted Professor Bruno Riou, AP-HP crisis medical director, in favor of a "decision as quickly as possible" with a view to "new, more drastic measures" than the curfew.

"If we do nothing, we will have a wave that risks overflowing our hospitals," he warned.