Invited this November 21, 2021 to the “Le Grand Rendez-vous” radio show on Europe 1/Les Echos/Cnews, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal alerted about the 5th wave “starting at lightning speed”. “There is almost an 80% increase in one week, with 17,000 daily cases. The incidence rate is estimated circa 164 for 100,000 inhabitants, it was at 100 at the beginning of the week”, he said.
But Gilles Pialoux – infectious disease specialist and head of infectious and tropical disease unit at the Hôpital Tenon in Paris – intends to be reassuring. This Sunday, interviewed by France Info, he says that thanks to 75% of the French vaccinated, the hospitalization toll in ICU is limited despite the increase in new Covid-19 cases.
“There’s indeed an increase in the incidence. But what matters to say to reassure is we thoroughly follow the increase in the hospitalization toll in ICU and deaths as well. They do increase but when you say there’s a +40% increase in the incidence, at the same time there’s an 11% increase in ICU. So, there’s a distance that is meaningful and can be explained through vaccination. Speaking of ‘lightning speed’, I think is very political-driven. It’s his right, but it doesn’t match a mathematic reality. There’s an increase, a bang was expected. But it could be stronger than expected. But for now, France maintains the distance between the increase in new cases and the increase in hospital admissions”, Gilles Pialoux claimed.
He adds: “I allow myself to add that in the current situation of public hospitals, with closed beds, the staff issue, and the spread of winter viruses, a big wave will not be needed to be overwhelmed”.
