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The Omicron variant, which would be more contagious, worries French scientists for the holiday season. The situation in Great Britain looks like a potential laboratory for the weeks to come.
Has the Omicron variant gone under the radar? Its circulation would be largely underestimated in France. According to the latest figures from Public Health France, there are only 347 cases of Omicron detected and confirmed in France. But more and more PCR tests analyzed do not fall under the English variant or the Delta variant, and could be cases of Omicron. “The number of Omicron cases doubles every other day. The Omicron wave is coming perhaps at the worst for us, at the time of the peak of Delta“, reports Florence Débarre, researcher at the CNRS.
This variant would therefore be more contagious. In England, Omicron becomes dominant, especially in London. According to the first data from South Africa, the variant is not more dangerous than the others. But the population in South Africa is younger than in France, and scientists prefer not to take risks by drawing hasty conclusions. “There are very few antibodies capable of neutralizing Omicron“, testifies Olivier Schwartz, director of the virus and immunity unit at the Institut Pasteur.