A Frenchman who arrived from London in England was detected positive for the new variant of Covid-19. The man has been placed in isolation and is doing well.
A first case of contamination with the Covid-19 variant was detected in France on Friday, December 25 … two days before the start of the vaccination campaign in France. Information confirmed by the French health authorities during the day.
The SARS-CoV-2 variant was first observed in the UK. According to a press release published by the Ministry of Health, his presence was however confirmed in Tours, with a Frenchman usually residing in England. The man arrived from London on December 19, was taken to CHU on December 21 and tested positive. Doctors quickly suspected a variant contamination of Covid-19. They then asked for a "Sequencing" virus carried by this patient to the National Reference Center (CNR) for respiratory infection viruses. The latter confirmed the infection with the VUI-202012/01 variant on Friday.
Asymptomatic, the man was placed in isolation at his home. He is doing well. The health authorities proceeded to "contact-tracing" of the health professionals who took care of the patient. They are also looking for his contact persons at risk, to proceed to their strict isolation.
See also: Coronavirus: the side effects of the vaccine under the microscope
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A more contagious variant?
Public Health France and the National Reference Centers have set up a system to detect and monitor possible cases of infection or carriage of the Covid-19 variant, reports France Info. Currently, several positive samples are being sequenced by the CNR laboratories. Analyzes will need to determine whether or not it is the SARS-CoV-2 variant.
According to a study conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, posted online on December 24, this new variant of the coronavirus would be "50% to 74%" more contagious. This could therefore have serious consequences on the number of cases … even if as of today, there is no indication "That individuals who contract the new variant are at increased risk of hospitalization or death".
The vaccination campaign against covid-19 must also begin Sunday, December 27 in France. While some are worried that this variant will resist the vaccine better, scientists are reassuring. "At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that this vaccine is not effective against the new variant", said Emer Cooke, director general of the European Medicines Agency. According to information from Le Monde, the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were sent on Saturday morning shortly before 7 a.m. to the central pharmacy of the Hospitals of Paris.