The Lille researcher, Philippe Froguel.

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M.LIBERT / 20 MINUTES

  • Analyzes of the latest samples of people tested positive for Covid show a proportion of the English variant increased from 34% to 60%, in one month.

  • This expansion of the variant "is probably involved in the overloading of intensive care units because of its greater dangerousness," said a researcher.

  • He fears that hospitals will remain in tension for at least two or three weeks.

Hospitals are likely to remain under pressure for the next few weeks.

Professor Philippe Froguel, who has just set up a genetic sequencing laboratory for the SARS-Cov-2 (LIGAN) coronavirus in Lille, alerts on the progression of the English variant in Nord and Pas-de-Calais.

Analyzes of the latest samples show a proportion that has risen from 34% to 60% in one month.

"As we had expected, the English variant is now largely in the majority but is still not hegemonic unlike Dunkirk where it exceeds 90%", points out Philippe Froguel.

His lab was able to examine 375 samples from people who tested positive on March 5 after PCR screening.

A base of about 40% of the Chinese stock

"These samples, transferred free of charge by the Synlab biology laboratory, come from the Nord and Pas-de-Calais, with the exception of Dunkirk and the coast," specifies Philippe Froguel, in a press release.

And the results are worrying, says the researcher.

“Maintaining a base of around 40% of the initial Chinese strain probably explains the absence of an explosion to date in incident cases of covid-19, unlike Dunkirk.

But any relaxation of vigilance would lead to what we experienced in Dunkirk in February.

He warns.

A very dangerous Brazilian variant

Because this expansion of the English variant "is probably involved in the overloading of intensive care services in northern France because of its higher dangerousness now well established", explains Froguel who expects "the English variant will continue to disseminate and therefore that the Covid hospital units in Hauts-de-France are in great tension at the end of March, beginning of April.

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The scan also revealed a person wearing the Brazilian variant.

“Given its dangerousness, careful monitoring should be carried out in the coming weeks,” notes Philippe Froguel.

The only good news is that the South African variant has, on the other hand, regressed (1%).

Faced with the rise of the English variant, the Hauts-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS) has already mobilized the care services because, last week, the occupancy rate of the 800 intensive care beds available reached 91%.

A capacity of 50 additional beds must be set up by increasing the deprogramming of non-urgent activities.

The same capacities as in November

It is a question of reaching the "capacities deployed at the height of the second wave in November", announced Thursday, the ARS.

In addition, patient transfers outside the region continue.

Eight patients were transported to other French regions from hospitals in Dunkirk, Calais and Valenciennes to Normandy and New Aquitaine.

A first patient was transferred on Wednesday from Dunkirk to Veurne, on the other side of the Belgian border.

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  • Covid 19

  • Coronavirus

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  • Lille