2023-08-23 15:54:34
Brigitte Autran, president of Covars, does not, however, rule out this hypothesis in the event of an “intensive” epidemic recovery.
Asked about a return to wearing a compulsory mask, the president of the Committee for monitoring and anticipating health risks (Covars), Brigitte Autran, estimated that “it will be considered if we go back to an intensive epidemic phase, but for the moment we are not there».
Faced with the resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic,the priority is to understand the new variant and prepare the vaccination campaign“, judged Brigitte Autran in an interview with Release Wednesday.
Read alsoCovid-19: what is “Eris”, the new variant that is gaining ground in France?
“No signs of particular gravity”
A new variant, BA.2.86, a member of the Omicron family, is being closely monitored by the WHO due to a “greater number of mutations“making it”more likely to scale and spread more easily“, she recalled. “It has been detected in Denmark, Israel and the United States, but it is not yet present in France“, added the president of Covars.
As for the EG.5.1 variant, dubbed Eris by some scientists and stemming from the XBB.1.5 branch, “we cannot rule out that it will become the majority” more “we don’t have any particularly serious signs“, she said. “And early scientific data suggests it’s susceptible to new vaccines that will be available in early fall.“, noted Brigitte Autran.
Read alsoThe Covid, this surprise summer guest who had in fact never disappeared
“Offered to at-risk populations”
For the vaccination campaign, three vaccines will be available and “offered to populations at risk» : «two vaccines messenger RNA developed during the spring by the Pfizer and Moderna laboratories as well as a vaccine with recombinant particles, developed by Novavax following the recommendations of the WHO». Pour «better face the winter period“, the WHO recommended in June the development of vaccines targeting the then most widespread variant, XBB.1.5.
As for the Covid surveillance system, lightened and currently “close to that of the flu», «it is expected that during the autumn (…) the system will be readjusted to optimally cope with an amplification of risks“, she clarified. France having left the legislative framework of the health emergency, “measures such as prescriptions and reimbursements or the sequencing of tests are deployed in stages“. Brigitte Autran will meet Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau this week, she also said.
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