Last July, the start of the epidemic was more pronounced among young people, as Professor Didier Raoult recently explained in a video, who was concerned about certain activities among young people, which would expose them to a risk of contamination under -valued. This time around, the standard of living could also have a link with the number of contaminations.
Covid-19: the richest, twice as exposed to a risk of contamination?
An investigation into Covid-19 (EpiCov), carried out by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and the DREES *, reveals that the richest are more likely to be infected, despite the restrictions health facilities put in place by the government to combat the spread of the virus.
In any case, this is what the proportions of positive results show "according to the different socio-demographic characteristics and living conditions", established by this national survey.
Indeed, if the fact of working in the health or medico-social sector increases the risk of being infected, other factors are also associated with "higher seroprevalence", like the standard of living.
"We observe that the risk of seropositivity remains higher for people whose standard of living is the highest or the lowest", We learn from the survey, relayed by Le Parisien.
The richest 10% of French people would have had twice the risk of contracting the virus during the first months of the pandemic, especially during confinement.
Why would the richest be more affected by the virus?
For Stéphane Legleye, Head of the Household Living Conditions Division at Insee, interviewed by The Parisian, this could be explained, in part, by the higher number of social relations in this segment of the population: "The higher up in the social categories, the more the social relations book expands. The opportunities to meet, more chosen than endured, are more numerous", he explains.
Added to this are the conditions in which the richest 10% have experienced health restrictions this year. "The material resources promote a sociability of reception: one can receive at home. Biases to the rules, perceived as minimal, are easier, but mechanically increase the risks of contamination", continues the specialist.
Finally, other reasons are mentioned, such as being able to move easily between your main residence and your second home, or even the use of outside help such as babysitters or relatives, during periods of teleworking, which have may also have increased the circulation of the virus within these foci.
* Epidemiology and Living Conditions survey (EpiCov linked to Covid-19, developed by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and the DREES, in collaboration with Public Health France and the National Institute of statistics and economic studies (Insee).
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