A first opinion on the management of the epidemic. The Committee for Monitoring and Anticipating Health Risks (Covars), recently installed in place of the Scientific Council, qualifies Monday, October 24 the current epidemic wave of Covid-19 as being of “moderate intensity”, while remaining cautious. for the future in the face of potential new variants.
In its sights in particular: the rapid growth of the Omicron BQ.1.1 sub-variant, detected in France in mid-September, which now represents 15% of the viruses detected in the country, and almost half in Ile-de-France.
An epidemic resurgence in France not “due to the appearance of a new variant stricto sensu”, according to the organization
“A pandemic rebound in France and Europe affects the elderly and remains for the moment of moderate intensity but with a dynamic to be monitored”, according to the committee, chaired by immunologist Brigitte Autran.
For the organization, made up of 18 members, the epidemic resurgence observed in France, as in part of Europe, “does not seem to be due to the appearance of a new variant stricto sensu”. A set of factors that could explain the restart of the epidemic are listed: drop in collective immunity, climatic conditions favorable to the spread of the virus.
Be careful, though. The “encouraging signals must be tempered” by the “rapid growth of the BQ.1.1 variant on the national territory”.