Covid-19: the fear of a 7th wave in France because of the new BA.4 and BA.5 variants – BFMTV

After decreasing throughout April, the number of Covid-19 cases has started to rise again slightly in recent days. Covid-19 is still there. Even if health measures have been largely revised downwards in recent months, the virus still continues to circulate in the population. According to Public Health France, more than 22,000 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded on average in France over the past seven days. This figure is rising slightly, after falling throughout the month of April. Blame it on the slow but certain proliferation of new BA variants. 4 and BA.5 For the moment, we have about 18% of BA.4 or BA.5, and the rest in BA.2. But we can go from 18% to 85% in two weeks”, warns Catherine Hill at the microphone of BFMTV. “So we can have more than BA.4 and BA.5 in two weeks, and we don’t know at all what will it do”, summarizes the epidemiologist. As in Portugal? In view of what Portugal is going through (a sixth wave due to the BA.5 variant). Catherine Hill is not optimistic. “The number of deaths is increasing in Portugal, and in France, it was decreasing, and it is in the process of stopping decreasing”, she underlines. “The growth advantage currently observed for BA.4 and BA.5 is probably due to their ability to escape the immune protection induced by a previous infection or vaccination”, wrote in a report published on May 13 the European Center for Disease Control. In the event of a new wave, hospital services would have difficulty in there face, alert professionals. Because beds and staff are lacking everywhere in the territory. “The situation will be catastrophic. rophic and will get worse”, warns Christophe Prudhomme. “The emergency services are already closed… This summer, I don’t know how we’re going to work”, he warns. Like Patrick Pelloux a few weeks ago, Christophe Prudhomme is sounding the alarm: “There are going to be Covid patients, in addition to the other patients whom we are already unable to take care of on a daily basis. It will be a disaster”Juliane Rolland, Marie Simon with Blandine D’alena