Paris (AFP)
The Delta variant currently represents "between 2 and 4% of positive cases" of Covid-19 detected in France, or "50 to 150 new diagnoses" per day, Minister of Health Olivier Véran said on Tuesday.
"Currently in France, 2 to 4% of the positive tests that we screen correspond to the Indian variant, which nevertheless represents a fairly wide range, of the order of 50 to 150 new diagnoses of the Delta variant in our country. "Said Mr. Véran during a trip to a vaccination center in Paris.
"It may still be little, but it was the English situation a few weeks ago," he added, recalling that the Delta variant "represents more than 90% of cases in circulation" across the Channel. , where the epidemic started again "on an ascending trajectory", with "almost twice as many daily cases" than in France, despite "a vaccination coverage rate higher than ours".
All the more reason "not to relax our collective vigilance", he insisted.
"This is certainly not the time", because "we must certainly not give a hold to the Indian variant so that it starts a new epidemic wave, we absolutely must prevent it".
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday evening the postponement of the lifting of the last restrictions in England, due to the outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
© 2021 AFP