how the epidemic swept across the country

CORONAVIRUS. By analyzing 97 Covid-19 genomes drawn from all over France, researchers from the Pasteur Institute have hypothesized that several zero virus patients may have introduced the epidemic.

A study by the Pasteur Institute, highlighted by Le Figaro, puts forward a new hypothesis as to how the coronavirus of Chinese origin settled in France. Assuming that Covid-19 gradually mutated while spreading over the territory, the researchers analyzed 97 genomes of the virus, drawn at random in France between January 24 and March 24. It appears that 90% of the strains circulating in France belong to the same strain family, scientifically called a clade. The Pasteur Institute revealed that the arrival of this clade could go back to mid-January in the Hauts-de-France, while remaining cautious on this scenario. “Other avenues cannot be excluded either,” warns Etienne Simon-Lorière, one of the researchers who worked on this study. From all this emerges the high probability that there was not a single “zero patient” at the origin of the epidemic wave experienced by France, but indeed several. “We do not find the first strains identified in France in the current epidemic in late January and early February,” said Etienne Simon-Lorière, still with Le Figaro. France was therefore struck by several strains of the virus, caused by the first “clusters” identified in the country, that of the religious gathering in Mulhouse being the one that would have caused the most damage.

• At the origin of the virus, a laboratory? In any case, this was affirmed by several American leaders, who targeted a laboratory in the city of Wuhan, in China, the epicenter of Covid-19. This pushed the WHO to step up to the plate. “We are focusing on the evidence we have, and the evidence we have from sequencing and all that has been transmitted to us is that the virus is naturally occurring,” said Michael Ryan, director WHO emergency programs, relegating US statements to the stage of “speculation”.
• A new version of the deconfinement card was presented this Monday evening.
• Protective masks have been available since yesterday in supermarkets. Their price has been capped at 0.95 euros per unit, they can of course be sold for less.
• Edouard Philippe presented Monday the deconfinement plan to the Senate, which was refused by the upper house of Parliament.

It was expected given the figures this weekend. The number of coronavirus deaths in France has crossed the symbolic bar of 25,000 dead on Monday, May 4, 2020. There are 306 more deaths compared to yesterday’s assessment to reach 25,201 deaths. The latest deconfinement cards have also been revealed and changed little compared to the previous day. Here are the figures to remember this Monday evening:

• 131 863 cases confirmed by PCR (Ehpad included), or 576 more
• 71 390 cases in Ehpad, or 623 more
• 25 201 deaths in total (Ehpad included), or 306 more
• 15,826 hospital deaths, an additional 243
• 9,375 deaths in nursing homes, 63 more
• 25,548 hospitalizations in progress, 267 fewer
• 3696 people currently in intensive care, 123 less
• 51,371 people discharged from hospital, an additional 587

NB: the data relating to people hospitalized and in intensive care presented above correspond to the number of patients in the course of care and not to the accumulation since the beginning of the epidemic. In total, there were 93,372 hospitalizations. Similarly, hospitalizations and additional resuscitation cases in 24 hours correspond to net figures, taking into account cures and deaths. In the last 24 hours, roughly, 689 more hospitalizations have been recorded and 84 admissions to intensive care.

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