“The health crisis is not behind us, very clearly, we will live for several more months with the virus”. Emmanuel Macron warned on Wednesday that the country was far from having finished with the coronavirus, during a Defense Council by videoconference from Fort de Brégançon (Var). The Head of State was particularly worried about the “dramatic” situation in the Overseas Territories, and in particular the outbreaks of cases in the West Indies.
“An emergency scenario is before us today”, this “implies the unconditional solidarity of the Nation” and offers “the cruel demonstration” that “vaccination is the most effective means” against the virus, added the president of the Republic. The government has decided to tighten the screw, by tightening the containment measures in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Ministers on the ground, back-up caregivers
Because the epidemic figures in the West Indies make you dizzy: in Martinique, the incidence rate soared to 1,162 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, well above the national average of 232.53 and very far from the alert threshold set at 50. In Guadeloupe, this figure stands at 1,769, against 876 the previous week. A “completely new” situation, with “incidence rates that we have never known” in France, insisted Sébastien Lecornu, who arrived in Guadeloupe on Tuesday evening. In the middle of the summer, the government wants to show that it is at the bedside of the West Indies.
The Minister of Overseas Territories did not arrive alone on the island, but with a reinforcement of 274 caregivers and 60 firefighters from the metropolis to ease the pressure in hospitals. The Minister of Health Olivier Véran, who called last week “for national solidarity to come to support the medical teams on the spot”, will be in Martinique on Thursday. “It is the role of the ministers to be there, to show the support of the metropolis for these populations strongly affected by the virus, notes Jean Terlier, member of the Tarn and spokesperson for the LREM group. It is also important to be at the front when things are not going well, when there are disputes, to convey the president’s message on vaccination, ”he said, while tensions have punctuated the latest demonstrations against the health pass.
Teaching about vaccination
This is the concern of the executive: the vaccination rate is far below the national average. Only 21.47% of Martinicans and 21.13% of Guadeloupeans thus received a first dose (against 66.66% of the total French population). And already, the increase in contamination is having repercussions in hospitals and intensive care units. “As the Prime Minister said, the situation in the West Indies,
this is proof by example of the benefit of vaccination. The very low vaccine rates lead to catastrophic situations in hospitals, ”assures Jean Terlier.
“If the situation is so serious in the West Indies when we are in mainland France, it is because the vaccination is far too low. So I make an appeal: Get vaccinated! “Pleaded Gabriel Attal, government spokesman on Wednesday. But the task promises to be more delicate than elsewhere. Because according to specialists from the West Indies or local medical staff, vaccine mistrust is also explained
by mistrust of public authorities and previous health scandals, like that of chlordecone (a toxic pesticide used in bananas between 1972 and 1993). “We must continue teaching on vaccination and fight against misinformation,” replies Jean Terlier. If you have any doubts, take a look at the data, which is public. Today there is no objective reason not to be vaccinated. “