Covid 19: “the vaccine pass is a disguised form of vaccine obligation”, admits Véran

The Netherlands reconfigured from tomorrow. The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, made the announcement this Saturday evening: his country returns to containment from tomorrow Sunday to counter the omicron variant. Containment that will extend over the entire Christmas holiday period. Our full article here.

Faced with omicron, the mayor of London triggers an alert procedure. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said on Saturday “extremely” concerned about the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, now dominant in the British capital, and triggered an alert procedure involving a coordinated response from public services. Our full article here.

First cases of omicron variant detected in Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin. The first cases of the omicron variant have been detected in Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin, said the Regional Health Agency (ARS) in a press release, confirming information from the local media.

In Guadeloupe, it is “Of a resident (unvaccinated)” on the island, specifies the ARS, which emphasizes that it “There is no notion of travel in the days preceding the positive result of his test”. “This point is worrying because it could mean the existence of an autochthonous circulation”, she warns. Another case has been confirmed, in Saint-Martin, on a person from Canada, indicates the same source.

Others “Specimens” in “From Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, evoking the omicron variant, are in the process of being dispatched” to be sequenced in Paris, underlines the ARS which recalls that this variant is “Extremely contagious” and reiterates its call for respect for barrier gestures.

For Olivier Véran, “the vaccination pass is a disguised form of vaccination obligation”. The day after the Prime Minister’s announcements, Jean Castex, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, came to provide after-sales service to our colleagues in Brut. The latter notably took on the accelerator put against the spread of the virus and in particular of its omicron variant. “The vaccination pass is a disguised form of vaccination obligation”, declared the minister.

In front of the “violence” omicron wave, in any case with regard to its contagiousness, Olivier Véran believes that building closures or the installation of gauges would not be “Not particularly effective”. Nevertheless, “The truth of today is not necessarily the truth of tomorrow”, hastened to add the minister. The use of a health pass – vaccine or negative test dating back less than 24 hours – at work is being studied.

Finally, “The question arises for transport such as the TGV and the plane” accessibility only with the vaccine pass, added Olivier Véran.

Omicron: Strict anti-Covid measures expected in the Netherlands. Strict anti-Covid measures should be announced this Saturday in the Netherlands, the team of experts who have been advising the government since the start of the pandemic having advocated a return to containment in order to curb the spread of the omicron variant, according to the media Dutch. Prime Minister Mark Rutte is due to hold a press conference at 7 p.m.

The team of experts (OMT), whose opinion has not been made public, is said to have called on Friday for the shutdown over several weeks of all sectors except essential stores such as supermarkets, pharmacies and drugstores. Restaurants, non-essential shops and the cultural sector could therefore close again. Experts are also said to have advocated the closure of schools and higher education.

Castex defends the “effectiveness” of childhood vaccination the day after its announcements. Jean Castex defended on Saturday “Efficiency” of the vaccination of children to counter the spread of Covid-19, while the opening of vaccination for all 5-11 years is looming. Visiting a vaccinodrome in Le Mans (Sarthe) and the hospital in this city, the head of government spoke with several people who had come to be vaccinated, mainly booster doses.

Children must be vaccinated “Because they are contaminants”, he replied to a man who shared his doubts with him. “Childhood vaccination is effective in this regard”, estimated the Prime Minister, who nevertheless insisted on the fact that this vaccination would be proposed “on a voluntary basis”, while a majority of parents are opposed to it, according to polls. Jean Castex announced several new measures on Friday, including a bill in January aimed at transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass.

The Scientific Council calls for tightening the screws for New Year’s Eve. In an opinion published this Saturday, the Scientific Council on Covid-19 called on the government to establish “Significant restrictions” faced with the risk of transmission of the epidemic on the occasion of New Year’s Eve. The authority considers that the “Limitation of collective activities” Where “Curfews, with the possibility of a territorial variation”.

On the positive side, the Scientific Council anticipates that the protective measures “Will be particularly well attended during the Christmas holidays. Our fellow citizens will be keen to spend this Christmas party 2021 in a more limited number, to be tested beforehand, to ensure that the oldest have received their booster dose ”. In contrast, “For the New Year’s festivities, the Scientific Council warns of the behavior of citizens which could be different with a more or less controlled festive activity”.

Cancellation of the fireworks display and New Year’s concerts on the Champs-Elysées. The mayor of Paris announced on Saturday the cancellation of the fireworks and concerts planned on the Champs-Elysées for New Year’s Eve, in order to apply the measures requested by the government to fight against the Covid-19 epidemic . “In view of the resurgence of the pandemic and the new government announcements, the City of Paris regrets having to cancel all the festivities planned on the Champs-Elysées on December 31”, let the town hall know in a press release.

No free self-tests during the holidays. Health Insurance will not cover self-testing for Covid-19 carried out during the holiday season, as had been anticipated by the main union of pharmacists. “There [aura] no free self-tests distributed in pharmacies ”, said Olivier Véran, on France Inter this Saturday morning. “The self-test costs 5.20 euros. PCRs and antigen tests are free [pour les personnes vaccinées], we make nearly a million a day, all costs have been supported from the start by national solidarity “, he argued.

The Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France (FSPF) had indicated on Friday that the government was preparing to announce a reimbursement of self-tests up to two per person between December 20 and January 2. Finally, this option was not retained during the Health Defense Council on Friday afternoon. “If they had been taken care of, it was impossible to provide the request of all the French, so ultimately this option was not retained”, explains the president of the FSPF, Philippe Besset.

Vaccination of 5-11 year olds from Wednesday “if all goes well”, announces Olivier Véran. Vaccination against Covid-19 will be offered to children aged 5 to 11 from Wednesday “if all goes well”, said the Minister of Health on Saturday. “If all goes well, on the 22nd of the afternoon we will start the vaccination of children in centers adapted for children”, he declared on France Inter. The National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE) gave a favorable opinion on Friday for this age group which is not affected by the health pass or the future vaccination pass.

Restrictions reinstated to and from UK. France has re-established from midnight this Saturday the obligation to “Compelling reasons” for travelers from and to the United Kingdom, which recorded for the third consecutive day a new record of contaminations, with 93,045 cases. Travelers must also present a negative test for Covid-19 within 24 hours (compared to 48 hours previously) upon entering French territory. A seven-day isolation period will also be imposed in France, but may be lifted after 48 hours upon presentation of a new negative test.

Mandatory vaccination booster for firefighters and caregivers. A third dose of anti-Covid vaccine will be mandatory for caregivers and firefighters from January 30, announced this Saturday morning the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, who mentioned the presence of “Several hospital clusters of the omicron variant”. Libé revealed Friday six of them within the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP). “We will strengthen the vaccination obligation of caregivers and firefighters by integrating the third dose from January 30. We do not want, as in Scotland, that we have 25 to 30% of caregivers who could not work because they would all be in contact and therefore in quarantine ”, explained Olivier Véran on France Inter.