Europe 1 2:36 p.m., September 18, 2021, modified at 2:40 p.m., September 18, 2021

The Covid-19 epidemic seems to be on the decline in France but Benjamin Davidot, an infectious disease doctor, calls on the French to be cautious and to maintain barrier gestures.

On Europe 1, he says he is opposed to lifting the health pass when the tenth consecutive Saturday of anti-pass demonstrations begins.

INTERVIEW

We must not relax our efforts.

This is the message from Benjamin Davidot, infectious disease doctor at the Raymond-Poincaré hospital in Garches, in Hauts-de-Seine, while the fourth wave of Covid-19 seems to be on the decline everywhere in France.

In the show

Europe Midi week-end

, the doctor warns of a possible fifth wave of the epidemic to come in the fall and says he is opposed to a lifting of the restrictions and the health pass, as envisaged by President Emmanuel Macron.

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As the tenth consecutive Saturday of anti-pass demonstrations begins in France, doctor Benjamin Davidot warns against loosening barrier gestures.

Admittedly, the figures have been rather good since the start of the school year.

In total, 32 departments are below the threshold of 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, according to Public Health France.

But the epidemic is far from having said its last word.

"We need higher vaccination figures"

"The fourth wave seems to be ending and that's a good thing," admits Benjamin Davidot, before continuing: "You have to be clear-headed. We are coming into the fall season and winter, so there will be a fifth wave. That seems difficult to escape ".

The infectious disease doctor puts forward vaccination as a means to fight effectively.

"I remind you that 64% of the population is fully vaccinated. To have collective immunity, much larger figures are needed, of the order of 80%," he says on Europe 1.

The danger of winter flu

If President Emmanuel Macron plans to abolish the health pass in less affected areas, Benjamin Davidot warns of the danger of lifting the restrictions, especially in relation to the winter flu.

"It is not because we won a battle that we won the war," he said.

“We have a long tunnel to go from the autumn-winter period until next March. Last year, we were exempted from the winter flu. This year, we don't know. We will have to continue the vaccination. , there are still a lot of things to do before lifting the restrictions, "says the infectious disease specialist on Europe 1.

"In Europe, all countries choose control"

In the viewfinder of the doctor, the lifting of the health pass. For him, this is a bad idea: "We must not repeat the mistakes of 2020. We differentiated France in several colors by explaining that where things were going well, we could do whatever we wanted. lift the restrictions, we start the epidemic again, "argues the infectious disease specialist, opposed to even a partial lifting of the health pass. "Most countries in Europe are in the same situation and everyone is moving towards something controlled. This is what must be ensured as long as we do not have these third doses or a 2.0 vaccine to sustainably control the epidemic ", assures Benjamin Davidot.