For several weeks, the ebb of the 7th wave of Covid-19 has continued in France. This new episode seems well and truly behind us. At the regional level, all the indicators are down sharply. “ The decline is confirmed and the figures are down markedly “, attests Sébastien Debeaumont, deputy director general of the Regional Health Agency of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur (Paca).
According to the latest figures from the ARS (1), the regional incidence rate is 421 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (384 for the Alpes-Maritimes and 448 for the Var). Admittedly, the indicator remains above the maximum alert threshold (set at 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) but at the start of the summer, the incidence rate flirted with 1,400 cases in the Alpes-Maritimes, 1,200 in the Var.
The number of people hospitalized is also falling on our territory. In the Alpes-Maritimes, there remain thirteen patients in critical care and eight for the Var. That is ten fewer people compared to the previous week. The number of hospital deaths is also falling. According to the latest figures, there were 10 in the Alpes-Maritimes and 15 in the Var.
Covid: a peak at the start of the school year?
Despite very encouraging figures, it is necessary to take a step back. Remember that this is the seventh wave. Covid-19 has therefore accustomed us to periods of peaks and calm. Very volatile, this virus remains unpredictable and does not follow a seasonal rhythm. Appointed yesterday at the head of the “committee for monitoring and anticipating health risks”, successor to the Scientific Council, the immunologist Brigitte Autran was clear: the Covid epidemic is not over. “We are in danger of experiencing a new peak in the fall following the current low.”
And Sébastien Debeaumont to add: “This is why the vaccination of the most fragile must continue and above all not weaken.
Moreover, the World Health Organization recalled it during a recent conference: when the levels of vaccination decrease within the population, the epidemics start once more. The population’s protection levels are falling. Washing your hands regularly, sneezing into your elbow, these barrier gestures must continue to punctuate daily life.
Another vital reason for not slackening the efforts: the saturation of the emergencies and the exhaustion of the personnel. “ Caregivers have to manage the summer that is not over. City medicine and firefighters help to maintain the supply of care and reduce hospital tension. Nevertheless, we are still on the razor’s edge and the situation remains tense.” recognizes Sébastien Debeaumont.
Monkey pox: an expanded vaccination
Our territory is therefore experiencing a brief health lull. On the coronavirus side. But also when it comes to monkeypox.
As a reminder, “Monkeypox” is an infectious disease that has been circulating in France since last May. In the majority of cases, it is a self-limiting benign disease, transmitted by direct contact with a person already affected. The vast majority of those affected are men who have sex with men (MSM).
At the beginning of the summer, an awareness and vaccination campaign was carried out among populations at risk. And the efforts seem to be paying off. “ Cases decreased in 06 as preventive measures to limit contact were heard by the LGBT community”, underlines Michel Carles, infectiologist at the Nice University Hospital.
Vaccination once morest smallpox was also launched in early July. “In the Paca region, 3,336 doses have been administered to date”, explains Sébastien Debeaumont. In order to complete the already existing territorial network, the ARS Paca launched, last week, an experiment with two pharmacies, one in the Bouches-du-Rhône and the other in the East of the Var, in Fréjus ( 3).
The objective is to test the logistical feasibility of vaccination once morest monkeypox by community professionals, given the strict conditions for preserving and storing the vaccines. “At the end of the experiment and following its assessment, the vaccination might be extended to other territories.
Zero Strategy Monkeypox
In the Alpes-Maritimes, between 300 to 500 people are now vaccinated once morest monkeypox each week. To date, more than 2,500 doses have been administered. In the Var, 449 doses were delivered at the Center Hospitalier Intercommunal Toulon La Seyne.
On our territory, the vaccine is gradually playing its role, but it is still too early to know its impact. “Indeed, it is more than 95% effective but within six weeks of the start of the vaccination schedule.” On the stock side of Monkeypox vaccines, the quantity remains a defense secret. Indeed, smallpox is considered a “biological weapon” (3), according to the Minister of Health, François Braun. “The only thing I can say is that there is no dose problem”, reassures Sébastien Debeaumont.
Here once more, the recent improvement in the situation at the local level should not make us forget that the fight once morest this virus is being played out on a national and global scale. Immunologist Brigitte Autran called for speeding up vaccination campaigns: “A zero Monkeypox strategy is possible, unlike that of zero Covid, she assured, By its nature, its routes of transmission, it is a virus that can be controlled.
1. Figures published on August 16.
2. The Grande Pharmacy of Tassigny in Fréjus.
3. Monkeypox might be used in a conflict, so it is part of state reserve stocks.
