Is Covid-19 returning? Initially scheduled for October 17, the vaccination campaign was brought forward two weeks by the Minister of Health. It will start on October 2. “We believe that the incidence has increased by around thirty percent since last week, this must be taken with great caution, but the virus is circulating, each of us can see cases around us,” explained Aurélien Rousseau in mid- September.
As the virus surveillance system has changed in recent months, it is difficult to have an accurate estimate of the number of cases. But certain data allow us to see the evolution of the circulation of Covid-19. And in particular those that can be found in wastewater. “We have a resumption of the epidemic,” Vincent Marechal, virologist and director of the Obépine network, tells BFMTV.
A “very significant” recovery
This network, the Wastewater Epidemiological Observatory, continues to monitor “about thirty treatment plants since the initial system was stopped.” If the circulation of the virus “is at a reasonable level”, this epidemic resumption “is very significant”, explains Vincent Marechal.
The latest figures for procedures performed by SOS Medicos and visits to emergency services for suspected Covid-19 are also increasing in France, illustrating this “epidemic resumption”.
“It is slowly increasing,” Edmond Galipon, general practitioner and president of the Union of Liberal Doctors of Loiret, explained to BFMTV.com in mid-September.
“I have had two cases per day since the beginning of the school year, in June and July, it was zero,” he said, without saying he was “concerned” about this situation.
Two years ago, authorities announced the creation of a wastewater monitoring network called Sum’eau. Given the increase in Covid-19 cases, the Minister of Health ensures that this wastewater is monitored.
However, monitoring the epidemic is mainly based on analyzing healthcare use and tracking variants.
Source: BFM TV
