• The virus continues to circulate, insists Denis Malvy, and in the South-West it manifests itself in particular by the appearance of variants.

  • The rise in incidence rates goes hand in hand with the lifting of health restrictions, he analyzes.

  • The infectious disease specialist believes that it is necessary to act immediately where the virus circulates the strongest, with screening and vaccination.

"A warning signal" in the South West, worried the spokesman of the government, Gabriel Attal, Wednesday.

He had underlined "sometimes significant increases in the circulation of the virus", in particular in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Landes, in Gironde.

The incidence rate in Nouvelle-Aquitaine continues a gradual rise, the incidence rate reaching 81.8 / 100,000 inhabitants on June 3 (average of cases per day between May 25 and May 31), against 71.8 on May 2 June.

The strongest increase is in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, where traffic now reaches 126.9 / 100,000 inhabitants (110.4 on June 2).

20 Minutes

interviewed the infectious disease specialist from Bordeaux University Hospital Denis Malvy on Friday to take stock of the situation.

We are seeing a rise in incidence rates in the South-West, what explains it?

The epidemic is not over, I would like to, but it is not.

Then, when we restrict social life as has been the case in recent weeks with the decisions of the government, we decrease the circulation of the virus.

When we lift them [since May 19], it circulates more, it's that simple.

In general, the virus continues to circulate, and it is expressed in the South-West in the form of variants, which are responsible for clusters, such as the autochthonous variant that we had in the Bacalan district in Bordeaux. .

There is an Indian variant which circulates in the Landes as well.

What is the level of these variants in the Southwest?

The variants are very transmissible, but fortunately they remain around 4-5% in the region.

The fact that there are clusters of variants, either imported or native, simply means that there is circulation of the virus.

But it seems that there is a stronger rise in the South-West, and in particular in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, than elsewhere.

How is this explained?

Normally, the lifting of restrictions should be done gradually, and with great support.

There, it is said… with a good step anyway!

Look at what is happening in the center of Bordeaux, it is eloquent.

I see restaurant terraces packed to the brim, with people without masks of course… And everyone is only waiting for the date of June 9 for more things to be open.

So, the population is tired, we all need to live, that's normal, but we shouldn't go too fast, and I find that there are too many people who are starting to unmask themselves, including in spaces confined.

In Arcachon, on the coast, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques… It's the same.

What should we do then?

We must maintain the barrier gestures, it is too early to overcome them.

It would be naive.

And we always test-trace-isolate it, in addition to the vaccination.

Screening and vaccination are the two means that must be combined in areas where it is circulating too strongly.

This is what we have done in micro-zones such as Bordeaux.

And it is not this summer that it should be done.

My position is that we have two weeks ahead of us if we want to have a quiet summer and avoid an epidemic resumption in the fall.

We must act right away where the virus is circulating the strongest.

So the situation is serious?

Let's say it's a signal.

But I'm not at all surprised, with the restriction lifting.

This is exactly what we experienced last year before the second wave, so we will not be surprised anyway!

Who could not expect, in areas where there is density and a lot of movement of populations who meet to breathe, that the virus does not take over?

But today, unlike last year, we have enough to deploy an effective arsenal, provided we do it now.

We have warning signs, we must anticipate, immediately.

Does the fact that the region has been less affected than the others, and that herd immunity is therefore lower, play a role?

Acquiring collective immunity is not easy, even in the areas that have been most affected.

We see in the Grand-Est or Ile-de-France that immunity struggles to acquire levels associated with protection, so yes, it's even slower in the South-West, but immunity will be acquired through vaccination.

Hence the interest of transgenerational vaccination, and that we therefore also take young people.

Bordeaux

Deconfinement in Gironde: "Even if we are in the open air, we must still be moderate", estimates an infectious disease specialist

Society

Coronavirus in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques: Young people affected by the increase in the incidence rate, without impact on the hospital

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