This outbreak of new cases on the continent is partly explained by the increased contagiousness of the last subvariants of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5. Most experts, however, are not very worried.
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And it’s off. The resumption of the epidemic of Covid-19, sensitive in all of Europe, was predictable, but everyone preferred to look elsewhere. In one week, the number of new cases in France thus jumped almost 50 %, with 45,700 new infections per day over the period from June 12 to 18 (they were 365,000 at the height of the Mi Mi epidemic -Janvier).
relaxation of barriers in companies, public transport, festive and leisure places…; Low membership of the second dose of recall among the eligible populations (i.e., in France, people with comorbidities and over 60s having made a first recall more than six months ago); Weakening, also, over the months, the protection conferred by three doses of vaccine … The virus exploits these flaws to the envy and prosper there.
Especially since the last representatives of the variant omicron – BA.4 and BA.5 – have acquired evolutionary advantages: increased contagiosity, compared to their predecessor BA.2 (which itself already reached levels of record transmissibility); and a new exhaust power to the defenses acquired by vaccination or by previous variants – even by omicron itself in its first version, Ba.1.
Results: In all European countries, the table is similar. A resurgence of cases, mainly carried by the dissemination of the BA subvariants. 4 and especially BA.5. Without, for the time being, this revival of infections does not result in a marked increase in admissions to the hospital and deaths, but in a light increase. Only Portugal is an exception: touched earlier by the wave, it already sees it, after two months, start to reflect.
- in France
Tuesday, June 21, the incidence rate reached 477 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, up 49 % compared to the previous week, according to the latest public health data (SPF). This recovery, which started in early June, is observed in all metropolitan regions and for almost all age groups. An infected person infected on average 1.39 other.
The BA.5 subvariant is now responsible for more than half of the new contaminations. From June 12 to 18, 45,697 new cases per day were confirmed, according to the SI-DEP contamination database. The screening rate was 1,993.6 per 100,000 inhabitants (+ 6.2 % compared to the previous week), and the positivity rate, 23.9 % (+ 4.2 points).
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