While the first omicron case in metropolitan France was detected on December 2, more than a third of new contaminations in the capital now come from this new variant.
Its virality was feared, it continues to confirm itself. Identified for the first time in mainland France on December 2, the new variant is spreading at high speed. “More than one in three [au Covid-19] seems related to the omicron variant “ in Paris, government spokesman Gabriel Attal alerted on Tuesday. And again, this is a seven-day average, so omicron’s share should approach 50% in recent days. In the United States, this new strain increased from 12 to 73% of new cases within a week.
Gradually replacing the delta variant responsible for the current fifth wave, omicron is propelling the epidemic to levels not seen for two years. The incidence rate reached “Once again a record” in France, with 537 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, said Gabriel Attal.
If contaminations are on the decline in many age groups, 20-39 year olds are experiencing a meteoric rise. According to CovidTracker, the incidence rate for this part of the population reached 748. Worse still in Paris, the figure climbs to 1,400, up 67% over one week. “In other words: between 1 and 2 young people out of 100 have tested positive only over the last seven days in Paris”, comments its creator Guillaume Rozier on Twitter.
“If the virus accelerates, we also accelerate”
Conversely, in hospitals, we observed a very slight decrease in the number of critical care admissions (-2% compared to last week, still on CovidTracker). A plateau could also emerge in Ile-de-France, even though the department is more affected than elsewhere by the omicron variant. On Geodes, we see that the number of people in intensive care has increased “only” by 29 in one week, against 66 the week before.
But this health crisis has also taught us to express reservations. Moreover, if omicron does not seem, for the time being, more deadly than its predecessors, it is nonetheless dangerous. “Yes [omicron] is twice as contagious […] and that it is 30% less lethal, in the end the account is not there. You will have more deaths, more hospitalizations, which will be even more difficult to manage logistically because a very contagious virus [fera] that everyone will be contaminated at the same time and therefore will create a very strong peak “, analyzed this Tuesday morning on France Info Benjamin Davido, infectious disease specialist at Raymond-Poincaré hospital
In an attempt to curb the epidemic, the executive therefore decided to advance its schedule. An extraordinary Council of Ministers will take place on Monday with a view to establishing a vaccination pass, mentioned by Jean Castex last week. For Gabriel Attal, “If the virus accelerates, we also accelerate”.
The government, which is consulting parliamentary groups on Tuesday on what should replace the health pass, is aiming for a “Final adoption” by parliament “From the first half of January”, he advanced. “We would have a law commission on December 29, with a hearing of Olivier Véran and an examination in the hemicycle from January 3,” confirms the deputy Jean-Pierre Pont (LREM) to Release.