The coronavirus epidemic is surging again in France. Its escalating is caused by the spread of more transmissible variants of coronavirus, including the UK variant that now dominates within the country. The outbreak of these strains therefore is a major issue that delayed France’s reopening schedule – including for restaurants, bars, and cultural places. So, to stop the high contamination rate, accelerating the vaccination campaign is vital.
In the meantime, vigilance is needed as for the outbreak of new strains, and there are thousands of them. In France, after the Breton variant, a second mutation has been discovered in the eastern part of the country. It is the Alsatian variant. L'Alsace newspaper reveals the discovery made by Strasbourg university hospital, also warning Grand-Est regional health agency.
After noticing a systematically negative marker in PCR tests, the hospital concluded it was a variant “carrying a mutation on an enzyme, polymerase, stepping in the multiplication of the virus”. 4,000 cases of this variant have been found so far. But is this variant more transmissible, deadlier? Can it resist to vaccines? Nothing says so, so far.
