Ihe World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 5 that the Covid-19 pandemic was no longer a public health emergency of international concern. This is justified because, if the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still actively circulating, the severity of the disease no longer has anything to do with what it was until now. This is due to the fact that almost the entire population is currently immune due to vaccination, successive infections and effective treatments.
At the same time, a curious political alliance allowed a favorable vote by the National Assembly to reinstate caregivers and firefighters not vaccinated against Covid-19. This law was passed at first reading against the opinion of the government. The Minister of Health and Prevention, François Braun, had however announced at the end of March a forthcoming decree to lift the vaccination obligation. On the surface, it’s inconsistent, but only on the surface. Because, to modify a law, another is needed, while to modify a decree, the executive can do it when it seems justified.
The turbulence around this episode should not hide the fact that, if the face of the pandemic has changed, the threat has not disappeared. This virus retains significant mutation potential. There is no reason to say that a new variant will not bypass existing immune defenses at the present time, putting us back at a significant risk of mortality.
A policy still to be developed
Turning the page, which we all want to do, would be a fatal mistake. Of course, there are no longer any valid reasons for currently restricting public freedoms. But it is necessary to take advantage of this break to build a prevention policy worthy of the name which will leave us less helpless in the event that a new murderous wave occurs.
A policy is not the addition of ad hoc measures. It is the display of an explicit desire to deal with risks and to integrate this concern into all of the company’s activities. A policy stems from shared values, from a vision of the issues, from defined objectives which call for specific means. In public health, it stems from a series of principles: transparency, comprehensiveness, universality, consistency, fairness – particularly vis-à-vis vulnerable people –, rationality – which leads to basing decisions on scientific evidence and to appeal the precautionary principle in situations of uncertainty – neutrality in the face of religious beliefs. Such a policy remains to be constructed.
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