This November 16, Olivier Véran admits France was “clearly at the beginning of the fifth wave”. For experts, the wave is already stronger than what the government says. This Wednesday November 17, 2021, invited on BFMTV, Pr. Gilles Pialoux – head of infectious and tropical diseases unit at the Tenon hospital – considers the country is already on health alert.
According to the clinician and the criteria set by the health authorities, “yes, we are on health alert. (…) but I think we are in a totally different situation than the past winter”. Pialoux speaks about the growing incidence rate and the saturation point of hospitals growing up, but he mostly alerts about the new criteria that might make this fifth wave more dangerous.
Even though the health situation is not the same as the winter 2020’s, new criteria must be taken into account, the expert explains.
Although Pialoux hopes to be still able “to increase the vaccine level to face this viral resurgence”, he fears the health situation deteriorates because of the “major circulation of winter viruses that almost did not broke out in 2019. And the hospital pressure is back to what it was before 2019. These three elements make that the wave is not the only worrying thing”.
His mind is shared by Pr. Jean-François Delfraissy who claims on France Inter the fifth wave “is here. (…) There is a clear speed up”. He says the French must be serious and continue to use tools instated namely vaccination, the third dose, health guidelines and the health pass.
For all that, the government claims they do not wish to make new and strong restrictions. The executive says no lockdown has been planned so far.
