Thread by @john_lichfield

EU meds agency says AstraZeneca is effective and safe to use - but there MAY be a very rare connection with deep vein blood clots which should be examined further. French PM Castex is giving a presser in 30mins. Will he annnounce a a resumption of AZ jabs?
theguardian.com/world/2021/mar…

Le Figaro seems to have the answer on how soon AZ jabs will restart in France. PM Jean Castex will publicly have an AZ shot (even though he doesn't qualify by age or illness) tomorrow afternoon.
lefigaro.fr/politique/astr…

But what else will Castex announce at the top of the hour? It seemed certain yesterday that the greater Paris area and much of N.France would be placed in a weekend only lockdown (at least). Now rumours suggest that Pres Macron has opted for something much more complicated.

The Paris area has an incidence rate of over 400 cases per 100,000 pop in 7 days. Intensive care is full. Nationwide there were 35,000 cases today. Something must be done but Macron is said to believe another lockdown - even for weekends - in Paris area wd be counter-productive

Rumour suggests a lockdown of up to 4 weeks but with bigger windows - longer permitted periods in which people can leave home to exercise/relax. Not clear whether this would be weekends only. More likely it would also mean a closure of shops/offices on weekdays. We'll know soon.

Castex says France now clearly facing somethinf like a "3rd wave" of Covid, largely thanks to UK variant now 75% of all cases in France. Cases have increased 23% in last week. Acute patients are younger and stay in IC longer.

But not all France effected. Only 23 out of 90 plus departements are on high alert. Stronger measures are needed in some areas though - especially Paris area and the north. Now 1,200 IC patients in Ile de France, more than at height of 2nd wave in Nov.

Other areas in trouble include Pas de Calais and Lille area in north west and northern Normandy. In Nice area, Alpes maritimes, situation is improving.

So a new lockdown for 4 weeks for 16 departements covering whole of the NW quarter of France from Paris to Channel and nothern Normandy.

Not yet clear what form this lockdown will take.. Castex is still justifying the decision in early Feb not to put France in lockdown protectively. Approach will continue to be pragmatic and proportioal.

So lockdown in the 16 NW departemnets including Paris will ...
NOT include schools and school sports, which will continue.
Only essential shops will remain open but they will include book and music shops.

Some places of work will close too.
But rules on exercise and leaving home will be much less severe this time. Anyone can exercise at any time (within curfews) up to 10k from their home ( with an attestation). Curfew will be pushed back from 6pm to 7pm. Big gatherings banned.

So a lockdown lite for 16 departements for 4 weeks. Biggest difference will be closure of non-essential shops and some offices to force more home-working.

Plan says Castex is to "check the virus" without "locking people up".
Now vaxes....France, he says, has now reached a higher vaxxing speed than most EU countries (true for last 2 weeks not earlier). But vaxxing of over 75's must go faster.

(Important thing I missed earlier ....travel between confined region and rest of France banned from Friday midnight. Stand by for a great exit from Paris tomorrow.)

Back to vaccines. Unless I missed it while writing, he has said nothing about AstraZeneca yet. He maintains target of 10m first vaccinations by mid April and 20m by end of May.

So on AZ jabs.....Castex said they could resume in France tomorrow afternoon after the Haute Autorites Sante has rubberstamped EU meds agency decision to declare AZ safe. To pause was "prudent", he said, but the French vax programme could now return to its recent higher speed.

Castex confirms he will be jabbed with AZ tomorrow to show a good example and "show we can all use it with confidence." Leading with his left shoulder.

To be precise.
The 16 departements which go into lockdown lite from tomorrow midnight include Alpes Maritimes ( Nice-Cannes) area and Seine Maritime and Eure in Normandy.
Other 14 are
All 8 in Ile de France (Paris area).
Five in Hauts-de-France, from Paris area to Belgian border

Other 13 I should have said...

So lockdown lite applies to NW quadrant of France, including Paris, Rouen, Le Havre, Amiens, Lille, Calais etc and the Nice-Cannes area at diagonal opposite end of the country. Travel from those places to rest of Fr banned from tomorrow midnight.

Is it enough? Too much? I think the flexibility ,especially the all day exercise window, is sensible and will be appreciated. But a quarter of France (more by population) will be in semi-lockdown until mid April. Grim.