The impact of the seventh wave of Covid-19 on hospitalizations and deaths remains uncertain, against a backdrop of a "weakened" hospital, and "we must expect new waves", observes the Scientific Council in an opinion published shortly before the examination of the new “health security” bill.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is not over", underlines the Council in its analysis of the wave associated with the BA.4/BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron and the bill, transmitted to the government on June 23 but made public only on Monday evening.

“Three points of vigilance”

The seventh wave started at the end of May in France, in the wake of South Africa and Portugal, and “the number of cases is probably underestimated due to a certain fatigue with the declaration of the various actors”, according to the board.

The Portuguese situation not being completely transposable, he judges “difficult to know what will be in France the impact in hospitalizations and deaths of the BA.4 / BA.5 epidemic wave which is beginning”.

The Scientific Council identifies "three points of vigilance", starting with the level of hospitalizations, in very clear decline in recent months but again become "high for the season", in a context of "weakened hospital".

He also points to the situation in the West Indies, particularly in Martinique, and "the high mortality of people over 80 in wave BA.4 / BA.5 in Portugal while vaccination coverage is very good there".

Barrier gestures for the most vulnerable, second vaccination booster for those eligible or easy access to antivirals are recommended.

"We must expect new epidemic waves"

As "we must expect new epidemic waves of Covid-19", the council still considers "desirable to keep devices allowing effective monitoring of the circulation of the virus and the securing of the places most at risk for the most fragile. , while pursuing a dynamic vaccination policy”.

First text of the legislature, a short bill providing for the temporary maintenance of a monitoring and health security system, from August 1, 2022 until March 31, 2023, arrives in committee at the Assembly on Tuesday.

The Scientific Council "welcomes this return to an announced but cautious normalization" and considers it "useful" to extend the computer tracking of screening tests and infected people.

“The current epidemic wave, and a possible rebound of the epidemic during the autumn or next winter, if necessary accompanied by mutations of the virus, requires that the public authorities be able to react quickly to the developments observed. or anticipated,” explain the experts.

In favor of a possible return of the health pass

The body also approves the possibility of restoring a health pass at the borders, considering this provision “proportionate to the possible evolutions of the epidemic”.

These two measures were also validated by the Council of State, which on the other hand challenged the creation of a new "committee for monitoring and anticipating health risks", not falling under the law but "in the field of regulation – decree or decree.

This body was supposed to take over from the Scientific Council, whose continuation beyond July 31 is undecided, its members having planned to “end its activities” on this date.

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  • Health

  • Covid-19

  • epidemic

  • Variant Omicron

  • Vaccination pass