INTERVIEW
Suspended flights with the United Kingdom, the words “out of control” pronounced by the British government … The variant of the coronavirus which appeared in the south of England seems to generate a wind of panic, in particular on the Old Continent. France in particular stopped since Sunday evening midnight and for 48 hours all the movements of people, “including related to the transport of goods, by road, air, sea or rail with the United Kingdom”. Guest of Europe Morning, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran believes for his part that it is actually the application “of the precautionary principle as long as there is a doubt”. “The idea is not to scare, but to make the right decisions at the right time.”
“We take all the necessary precautions”
“We are talking about the identification of a variant of the coronavirus, whose genetic code has been turned upside down”, recalls Olivier Véran. A variation identified “in a part of English territory where we are also witnessing an increase in the circulation of the virus. English scientists are therefore wondering if this variant could be more contagious.” And if the latter do not have proof for the moment, the Minister of Health insists: “as soon as we ask ourselves the question, we take all the necessary precautions.”
“We will know more in the coming days”
For the time being, according to our current knowledge of “this form of coronavirus, the clinical symptoms are the same, just like a priori the number of severe cases. But there is the question of greater transmissibility. This therefore requires that we take precautions “.
As to whether this new strain of the virus risks causing an acceleration of the pandemic, Olivier Véran kicks in. “Has the epidemic increased in England because this variant is more contagious, or has it emerged thanks to a recovery linked to other parameters? We need to be able to do studies. ” And the minister concluded: “we will know more in the coming days.”
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