Out of control in Brazil, the "P1" variant of Covid-19 worries the authorities in France, although it is a very small minority on the territory and dominated by the English variant.

Virologists are calling for more control measures for people returning from Brazil.  

DECRYPTION

Could this "P1" variant worsen an already deteriorated health situation in France?

As the country grapples with the third wave of the coronavirus epidemic, the Brazilian variant worries doctors, but also the government.

The latter has also decided to suspend "until further notice" all flights with Brazil.

Because if it is still very rare in our territory, its very high contagiousness and its potential resistance to vaccines represent a threat taken very seriously. 

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The "P1" variant is growing at breakneck speed in South America and beyond.

In Chile, it is everywhere, and also goes back to Canada and the United States.

But scientists are also worried that the vaccines would not be so effective against this variant. 

0.5% of contaminations in France

The "P1" is more present in the north-east of the country, but also in Creuse, Vendée and Guyana.

But for the moment, it remains very much in the minority in France, and represents only 0.5% of contaminations, the British variant, largely in the majority, leaving it practically no room to develop.

But we must continue to sequence all the PCR tests where there is a doubt to monitor the evolution of this variant in new contaminations, claims Christine Rouzioux, virologist and member of the Academy of Medicine.

"We must control what is happening in the country with sequencing in very large numbers, to know where there are Brazilian viruses and how we must isolate these people," she explained to Europe 1. 

Strengthen controls?

Some virologists are also calling for more measures than the stopping of flights between France and Brazil, where the situation totally out of control worries Yannick Simonin, virologist at Inserm.

"A strong viral circulation and a strong circulation of the variant in a country which does not control the epidemic, this can lead to the appearance of new variants. It is important to prevent them from arriving on the territory", indicates t -he. 

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These virologists particularly evoke the possibility of forcing passengers from Brazil to a stricter isolation and more controlled by the authorities.

But the question is now geopolitical: how to put pressure on Brazil to better control its epidemic?