Covid-19 in France: is celebrating the New Year among infected people safe?
Queue in front of a mobile Covid screening center in Paris, December 31, 2021. REUTERS - CHRISTIAN HARTMANN
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
As a result of the surge in Covid-19 cases, many of them cannot celebrate the transition to the New Year this Friday evening.
Unless you wake up between infected people and without symptoms.
But is it safe?
Can we party among people who are all positive for Covid-19?
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To
With
Victor Missistrano,
from the France service of RFI
The idea seems clever: so as not to spend New Years Eve alone, spend the evening only with people who are positive for Covid-19.
If for Professor Olivier Bouchaud, this idea is not absurd, the head of the infectious diseases department at the Bobigny CHU has reservations.
“
In absolute terms, we can say to ourselves: 'Since everyone is infected, there is not much opposition to people celebrating among themselves.'
The whole problem is that in some people who are immunocompromised or with risk factors, it is not excluded that there may be over-contamination and superinfection, in particular from one variant to another.
For example, someone who is Covid in the Delta could be infected with the Omicron.
"
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To read also: Covid-19 in France: less sensitive to Omicron, antigenic tests remain popular
Lots of uncertainties
Even more dubious, Michèle Legeas, teacher at the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health (EHESP), exposes the uncertainties involved in re-exposure to the virus: "
It is very complicated to say that it would be safe to bring together people who were simply tested positive with almost no symptoms.
It is not known whether or not being re-exposed to an extra dose of the virus will lead to their immune response overwhelming.
It is not known today what exposure to Omicron would have on a person with low symptoms in Delta.
"
To avoid the risks, it therefore seems more prudent to take your troubles patiently and respect isolation.
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To read also: Covid-19: France crosses the 200,000 cases mark in 24 hours, the vaccination pass at the Assembly
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