“If we want to minimize the risk, in reality, we must minimize the contacts, whatever they are“, declared on Tuesday on franceinfo the professor Benjamin Davido, infectious disease specialist, medical director and Covid-19 referent at the hospital of Garches (Hauts-de-Seine), in anticipation of the end of year celebrations. According to him, he should “combine this with other measures, distancing, wearing a mask when necessary, vaccination“, and in particular the booster dose, but also to be tested”the same day “to be able to be” in the best conditions to minimize the risk“. Benjamin Davido recalled that although”there is no such thing as zero risk, what we want is for it to be close to zero“.
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For this, he called for respect for barrier gestures. It is not, according to the professor, simply “wash one’s hands” and of “put on soap“, since Covid-19 is a disease”mainly respiratory“. “The first thing, what is needed, is to reduce social contact, to see people less. The second thing is that we live indoors during the winter and that is why it is the winter of all dangers, so you have to ventilate the rooms.“, he specified. Benjamin Davido thus suggested either to let pass”a constant stream of air“or to ventilate the space”five to ten minutes, ideally ten minutes, every hour“. “You have to have the reflex, because this gesture decreases up to 10 times the number of particles in suspension“, he added.
️ “The good advice is to see fewer people and ventilate the rooms”: Prof. Benjamin Davido gives some recommendations in the face of Covid-19 during the end of the year celebrations pic.twitter.com/whmFbasDfX
– franceinfo (@franceinfo) December 21, 2021
Ensuite, “we must encourage the French to be tested“, especially for those who”only had two doses and not the third“, ideally”the same day“, December 24 or 25 depending on the planned festivities as well as December 31 for the New Year.”Not with self-tests, but with tests carried out by a healthcare professional“, insisted the infectious disease specialist.”You have to go to the back of the nasopharynx, if you tickle the nostril, you will hardly have any virus and therefore a false negative test.“, he justified himself.
For people who are in contact, Benjamin Davido recalled that he was “necessary“to be tested immediately and to be tested again”on the fifth day“. “The test at the start just lets you know if it was not you, unfortunately, who infected someone but you still need a second test, on the fifth day“, he detailed, while recommending – in the meantime – to isolate oneself if one is not vaccinated and to respect drastically the barrier gestures if one is vaccinated.
Finally, concerning the booster dose, the professor indicated that it was necessary to take into account the fact that the “antibody peak, the maximum effectiveness of this dose“, intervenes”on the seventh day“. You must therefore have it 7 days before Christmas, if you want to be protected on D-Day.”But very clearly, with the Delta, we know that we divide by ten the probability of being contaminated so it’s the best thing to do before the holidays anyway.“, he qualified.”If we do all this“, barrier gestures, vaccination, PCR tests,”then we will be in the best conditions to spend the end of year celebrations“, he concluded.
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