Coronavirus in France: Jérôme Salomon defends himself before the commission of inquiry

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The hearing of Jérôme Salomon before the commission of inquiry on the coronavirus took place this Tuesday, June 16 at the National Assembly. The number 2 of the Ministry of Health defended tooth and nail the strategy of the authorities on the masks and the tests, whereas the criticisms on behalf of members of the commission of inquiry were launched.

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A "  state lie  ". The accusation comes from UDI deputy Jean-Christophe Lagarde. On March 18, Jérôme Salomon said that there was "  no sense in wearing a mask  " in the street "  for uncontaminated people  ".

Today masks are recommended and sometimes mandatory. However, according to Jérôme Salomon, doubts about their effectiveness persist. He refers to a recent publication by Canadian researchers: “  The first observation of this Canadian publication is to say : there is no consensus document that demonstrates the effectiveness of preventive measures apart from the barrier measures that the 'we already know and apart from the measure of physical distancing. They report a huge doubt about the effectiveness of the masks. And I'm talking about masks for the general public. "

Another controversial subject: the choice not to resort to systematic screening, but rather to "  syndromic surveillance  ". It was the right choice, says Jérôme Salomon.

“  It is done every year for all epidemics of gastroenteritis or flu for example. We monitor by sentinel doctors and not necessarily by a biological confirmation. It is not necessarily necessary.  "

The commission of inquiry will continue its work this Wednesday. She will hear from François Bourdillon and Geneviève Chêne, respectively former director and current director of the Public Health agency France.

► Read also: France: a parliamentary survey on the management of Covid-19 which will last 6 months

Our selection on the coronavirus

• Listen to our Coronavirus Info column 

• Our  explanations  :
→  What we know about the mode of contagion
→  Disparities and inequalities in the face of the coronavirus
→  Triple therapy, Discovery… update on research
→  Remdesivir, antibodies and immunity
→  The race for the vaccine is in full swing
→  How to make a mask and use it well

• Our series  :
→ “  The response, country by country  ”
→ “  Nurses  ' words ”

• After Covid-19, towards a new world?

• See also the files of RFI Savoirs on the Covid-19:
→  Birth of a pandemic
→  Everyday life put to the test
→  The history of epidemics
→  Science facing the Covid-19
→  The geopolitical consequences

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