The British “mutant” of the coronavirus should spread to the whole of France in the coming months. “It’s an inevitable change,” explains to Agence France Presse Professor Bruno Lina, who coordinates the mapping of its circulation at the national level. “All the measures that we will take will not eliminate the British mutant which will replace the current virus”, continues the professor of virology at the CHU de Lyon, director of the National Reference Center for respiratory infectious viruses at the hospital of La Croix Rousse and researcher at the International Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIRI), this Thursday, January 14, 2021.
“The important thing is that it happens at no cost to public health. By continuing the barrier gestures, masks, distancing and vaccination, first of all the most fragile, this will reduce its dynamic “, he notes, showing himself relatively reassuring:” it will be the management of the epidemic “. The results of “our latest survey, which covers all PCR tests positive for Covid-19 on January 6 and 7, shows in consolidated data that 1.3% to 1.4% of viruses circulating in France are carriers of the British mutant” , reveals the virologist, also a member of the government’s Scientific Council. “It may move a little longer, but at the margin,” he says
“There may be an overestimation of the circulation because some detections of the variant have been made in a cluster context with several dozen cases”, notes Bruno Lina adding that “regional disparities” are visible. “We must not imagine that because we found 1.4% at the beginning of January, we will find 30% at the end of January. It would be very worrying. But it is very unlikely ”he reassured by affirming that“ if it ever happens, it is that at some point, we missed the control of the circulation of this virus ”.
Across the Channel, the change took about two to three months to gain momentum. “Legitimately, we can think that the expansion of the virus will take the same time in France. If we don’t do anything. “Hammered Bruno Lina, recalling that the British virus” is neither more dangerous, nor more pathogenic, but it is more transmissible “.
The virus mutation does not call into question the effectiveness of the vaccines
According to Professor Bruno Lina, a mutation in the virus does not call into question the effectiveness of the anti-Covid-19 vaccines because it is “not an antigenic variant but a behavioral variant”. On the other hand, “with the South African and Brazilian variants, also found in Japan, there is a signal that immunity would not protect perfectly. This would mean that the effectiveness of current vaccines could be less good ”.
Nevertheless, “messenger RNA vaccines are easy to evolve quickly, in a few weeks” reassures the professor of virology at the CHU de Lyon. In this case, it would suffice “a complementary vaccination for the new variant, with a single dose for people already vaccinated”, he assures. Prime Minister Jean Castex said this Thursday, January 14, that the epidemic situation in France was “under control” but “fragile”.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
