Since the end of June, contamination linked to Covid-19 has intensified in France and in particular in Gironde. Denis Malvy, infectious disease expert at the Bordeaux University Hospital, answers questions from 20 minutes on this 7th wave.
What can we say about the situation on July 12 and its consequences on the beds of the Bordeaux University Hospital?
We are in the Omicron era which is an unprecedented virus which produces sub-variants incessantly. We are at BA5 and we will soon have BA6 and BA7, this is how the virus adapts, because its sub-variants allow it to be more and more transmissible. This Tuesday, there are 114 hospitalizations at the Bordeaux University Hospital, including 30 in intensive care. In Gironde, there are 350 people with Covid hospitalized.
What are the profiles of the people admitted to the hospital?
People currently hospitalized are immunocompromised or have fragile grounds. It should also be noted that within the medical community many are sick, so there are even fewer staff in the hospital. After two years of the epidemic, we have a lot of experience and know-how to adapt to the virus. We see that populations are tested either because they are symptomatic or because they have been in contact with a sick person.
Who are the people who should do a new vaccination booster?
Vulnerable people over 60 and especially those over 80 must have received their second reminder. With age, even if you are vaccinated and even if you have had wild infections (contamination by a sick person), the production of neutralizing antibodies which prevent transmission wanes more quickly. There are still 40% of those over 80 who have not received their reminder, we are waiting for them! They are the ones who, by being protected, will protect the hospital.
The rest of the population must reconnect with barrier gestures?
We know what the places of contamination are: closed, unventilated places. You have to get tested, wash your hand, keep your distance when there is a high density of people and when necessary, put on a mask. People with symptomatic Covid are on land for four days and must rest for 10 to 12 days, if that’s our vacation program, hello freedom and summer choices!
What can we expect for the rest of the summer and the start of the school year?
Obviously, we are very very far from the end of the epidemic. It is a sustained epidemic recovery and the impact on the health system is a little more marked than what was expected. A peak is expected at the end of July and at the start of the school year this fall, we will have the 8th wave, which will be less pleasant. But, we have everything we need to anticipate and we hope by then for more relevant vaccines, in particular to protect us from contamination for longer. We may then move towards an annual administration as for the influenza vaccination.