“The reduction of contacts and the conservation of barrier gestures” must continue “during the coming weeks” to overcome the fifth wave “which is not over”, insists the Scientific Committee.
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While the average daily Covid-19 contamination has never been so high since the start of the pandemic, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, and the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, presented, on Thursday January 20, the timetable adopted by the government for a gradual lifting of the last restrictions. The fifth Covid-19 wave linked to the Omicron variant is not over and its impact on the healthcare system “will continue permanently until mid-March”, alerts the Scientific Council in its latest opinion dated January 19 but updated on Thursday.
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Nine to 14 million French people “could have already been infected with this variant” since its emergence at the beginning of December 2021. However, the severe clinical forms remain “less important”, confirms the Scientific Council. He specifies that the impact on the healthcare system could be contained in the next two months. “if, and only if, the reduction of contacts and the conservation of barrier gestures will continue during the coming weeks”. Currently, nearly 4,000 Covid-19 patients are hospitalized in critical care.
The epidemic remains at a very high level in France, a situation “possibly linked to the resumption of school life”, specifies the Scientific Council, which recommends allocating “additional resources” for “strengthen health protocols for the prevention and screening of infections in schools and nurseries”. At the national level, it is also necessary “continue the current strategy on the wide use of tests”, according to the Council, but also “optimize the implementation of oral antivirals which can profoundly modify crisis management for non-vaccinated.”
One of the major challenges of this period is also to “limit surgical and medical deprogramming”. In this, “public/private partnership is an important part of the response” explains the Scientific Council.