2023-06-28 12:29:18
June 28, 2023
Could Covid-19 be behind us? Admittedly, the pandemic is receding, but the virus is still unpredictable. Above all, people at risk remain the most likely to develop serious forms of the disease and to be hospitalized. This is why everyone’s vigilance in the face of the virus remains essential.
For more than 3 years now, Covid-19 has taken hold all over the world and has considerably changed our social habits. In recent months, however, and this is a victory, the pandemic has lost ground. But at the same time, the application of barrier gestures has also declined considerably, with potential deleterious consequences for those of us who are the most fragile. Because in general our degree of vigilance in the face of the virus is collapsing.
Barrier gestures still essential
According to a Pfizer/IPSOS study, 40% of French people say they are no longer worried regarding Covid-19. And more than 25% consider it a mild illness. The same proportion believes that barrier gestures are useless (22%) and that the epidemic is over (27%). These figures illustrate how much French society as a whole wants to move on. In short, turn the page.
Problem, this finding certainly understandable for the less fragile among us, extends to people at risk of developing a severe form of the disease. Among the latter, only one in three would immediately notify their doctor if they tested positive for covid-19. In addition, only 17% of this population asks their relatives to systematically apply barrier gestures in their presence.
« I am unfortunately not very surprised by these figures at the level of the general population. “, explain Melanie Gallant Dewavrin, Director of the association of pulmonary hypertension patients, carers and transplant recipients (HTaPFrance). ” But to see that people at risk feel hardly more concerned than the general population, I find that very worrying. It is very dangerous to feel so detached from Covid-19, to consider that the virus is no longer with us. Because in reality, it is still there and causes complications in those most at risk. »
Covid-19 still a potential danger for people at risk
In patients suffering from cancer, for example, the risk of respiratory complications and hospitalizations is 4 to 5 times higher than in the general population. In addition, the French SEVARVIR study showed that between January and June 2022, 43% of critical care hospitalized patients for Omicron in France were immunocompromised patients. Also according to this study, among patients admitted to intensive care, the proportion of obese patients was also very high (38%). Three figures that illustrate the vulnerability of people at risk.
However, if people at risk declare themselves to be a little more concerned regarding Covid-19 than the average French person, many of them minimize their vulnerability to the virus.
« Each of us must be vigilant “, explains Mélanie Gallant Dewavrin. « The general population lives with relatives, friends, family, colleagues, who themselves live with patients at risk. Be careful, be vigilant, protect them by always applying barrier gestures. As for the most vulnerable themselves, it is necessary to insist on their risk of developing serious forms and of having complications. I would like to tell them; ‘don’t forget the barrier gestures, wear an FFP2 mask, ask those around you to also be vigilant’. We must develop a cordon sanitaire with the most vulnerable populations, just as we should make health centers into sanctuaries where everyone wears a mask, because it is not normal that coming for care exposes you to a risk of Covid infection – or whatever. “.
In France, people at risk represent more than 20% of the population.
« 1 person out of 5, this means that we all have at least one person at risk in our entourage says Mélanie Gallant Dewavrin. If you are at risk, symptomatic and positive for Covid-19, his message is clear. ” Tell your doctor or specialist immediately. He will be able to offer you the most appropriate care according to your condition and your follow-up. This is an essential message to convey to people at risk but also to those around them. »
Source: Pfizer/IPSOS survey “changes in French people’s behavior in the face of the covid-19 epidemic”. December 2022 – Public Health France. Page consulted on June 9, 2023. Coronavirus (COVID-19) (santepubliquefrance.fr) – COVID 19 and cancer: the answers to your questions | ICM Montpellier (unicancer.fr) . Accessed 9/6/23 – Accessed 9/6/23 – Opinion of the COVID-19 Scientific Council. April 2, 2020
Written by: Emmanuel Ducreuzet – Edited by: Vincent Roche
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