2023-08-17 17:02:47
Did the Béziers feria (and its 1 million visitors) trigger a Covid-19 cluster? France Bleu Hérault conducted the investigation.
During these five days of feria, red was omnipresent in the middle of this huge crowd in the heart of Béziers in the Hérault. The white much less. Or not at all. Red, the color of the bandanas and hats worn by aficionados on the Paul Riquet alleys and Saint-Saëns avenue, concentrating a majority of the fifteen or so Bodégas and casetas. White, that of anti-covid masks, worn not so long ago to protect themselves. A few spectators had taken care to wear them. Were they even right to do so?
Absent from the news for several months, the Covid-19 is therefore making a comeback in Biterrois but also everywhere in France, thanks to the summer and large gatherings. Under the effect of the Eris variant, the Omicron sub-variant appears to be more contagious. The Grand Est Region is the most affected to date.
Fifteen pharmacies surveyed by France Bleu Hérault
Covid-19 cases have been quite important DURING and AFTER this feria confirm many pharmacists at France Bleu Hérault. It seems very difficult not to make a direct link with this popular festival which brought together more than a million spectators from August 11 to 15, 2023. Many professionals claim to have noticed no upsurge before the start of the festivities. Everything would therefore have accelerated last weekend. No serious cases. Only sore throats, headaches, general fatigue, and loss of smell for some.
Out of about fifteen pharmacies contacted by France Bleu, a very large majority of them report a significant increase in sales of anti-Covid tests and positive cases. “This Wednesday, the day after the feria, we had 40% of people tested positive“ explains Jean-Philippe Calmette pharmacist, from the Pharmacie des Arènes. “Not just young people, but people aged 30-40. Not necessarily an elderly population”
“I confirm to you that this epidemic has indeed arrived in Béziers”
Young people, more likely to get tested
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“In Béziers, we had not yet seen this skyrocketing of this epidemic. I indeed think that the feria was this factor which accentuated this acceleration, linked to this large influx of the population, which is not necessarily from Béziers. The youngest were more likely to be tested. They are indeed the most impacted, they are aware of the risk they can take” added Jean-Philippe Calmette and this observation is also the same in many pharmacies contacted. A hundred meters from the Arena, around twenty people were tested this Wednesday. The previous days self-test sales have multiplied.
Fifty positive cases at another pharmacist
This increase in Covid-19 cases has not been confirmed by the Regional Health Agency of Occitanie. This Thursday evening, she had not responded to our requests. Nowadays, it is impossible to count the number of specific cases in France assures a pharmacist. “We can no longer bring up our statistics, says the professional“. Until now, pharmacies transmitted their data to the SI-DEP. But for the past two months, the patients counted by pharmacies have no longer been reported to the health authorities (Editor’s note: this screening information system centralized the results of the tests screening for Covid-19 carried out by public or private laboratories and pharmacists).
100% of covid cases in some pharmacies
“Yes, we have cases of Covid“: it is very often the same answer formulated anonymously by a majority of the pharmacists contacted in Béziers and in the nearby villages. We have taken the decision not to quote them, nor locate them as they wished. For each of them, the impact is not the same from one establishment to another.
Eve, 16, sick after five days of feria
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“We had days with 100% positive cases”, a pharmacist. “But I think it is also linked to an influx of people at the feria. Many young people self-tested the day before the festivities probably because they were sleeping with grandparents, family, friends and their parents had probably asked them to be tested, for fear of bringing something back. And then we had a large influx of tests from Saturday. We carried out up to fifty tests on certain days. 100% of the tests were positive” says a pharmacist.
“It has been a long time since we had so many requests for self-tests“explain one another.”Last August 10, that really woke up“Another pharmacist does not hide his concern that cases will develop in the coming days, particularly among catering staff or those who have been in direct contact with the public, those who have worked in confined spaces.
No serious cases noted: a small flu
“It’s a little flu“confirms another. This new virus is less virulent than a gastro. It does not necessarily have a significant risk. Anyway, from here, we will all be immune for a while. So yes it can get bigger in the next few days. But there is no longer any way to stigmatize the Covid. The state has played its game these days.”
“The state has imposed on everyone to live with the Covid. Anyone who is aware will necessarily put on the mask”.
The pharmacies contacted largely claim to have sold many more self-tests than in previous weeks. “I sold 80 in the week to many young people. To give you an idea, in February, I sold barely ten in a month. This shows the desire of some to be detected.
“The over 50s no longer think about getting tested”
So would young people be better prepared to face the virus? “They get checked as soon as necessary” assures another pharmacist as soon as they find themselves together. They take a public safety stance depending on the moment. Which is ultimately not so bad. It is for this reason that they are controlled. I ain’t had nobody over 50 who bought me a test or who got tested in the last few days. They don’t care even if they are sick or tired. They don’t think about Covid-19 anymore. While young people yes. When they were sick, they had to get tested before returning to class. So they got used to it. It’s automatic for them, while the others, the active ones, have to work and they don’t pay attention to their health.“.
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