"It's not going to ruin the summer because we're vaccinated," he said.
“I believe that we will hold on condition that we resume vaccination among the oldest and re-examine a certain number of recommendations to limit contamination”, however added the president of the scientific council.
A quarter of eligible people have received their second booster shot against Covid, a "clearly insufficient" rate, according to the government.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne asked the prefects and health authorities on Tuesday to encourage the wearing of masks in closed places.
So far, these are "recommendations", without obligation.
For Mr. Delfraissy, "the government was right not to make it compulsory because in this crisis you have to be scalable".
"The difficulty for this summer is that we have a surge with the new variant (BA.5) - and we expect 1,500 daily hospital admissions within a week - it that is to say, like in March, when the supply of care is weaker", he noted, however.
"It is enough for there to be a shift from a greater number of hospitalizations linked to Covid to a tired healthcare system and there will be a difficult balance at the end of July-beginning of August" at the time of the peak, he said. he warned.
Mr. Delfraissy has also announced that he will leave the scientific council, a body which has guided the government since the start of the health crisis, once the health crisis law has been discussed in Parliament.
"I've only thought of Covid for 24 months, it's time for a new vision, it's time to hand over," he said.
For his part Alain Fischer, president of the orientation council for the French vaccine strategy, again encouraged the most fragile (over 60 and immunocompromised), on France Inter, to make a 4th dose of vaccine.
Among the youngest, "a certain number have still not received a 3rd dose, at least a first booster is needed", he pleaded.
"There is a wave ahead of us but we have to be right," he said.
The virus is "no more severe" than with previous variants, the symptoms "no more violent".
© 2022 AFP