Weekly French Covid Thread

A somewhat encouraging week. The 5th (Delta) wave of the pandemic is still rising but less rapidly. The peak may be reached next week. However…the Omicron variant has yet to hit France in a big way. It’s coming. It’s already surging in the UK. 1/12
New cases rose this week to 48,248 a day, up 24%, after 52% last week. The incidence rate (tdi) - 470 cases per 100,000/7 days – rose by 31.6%, compared to a weekly rate of 60% ten days ago. See graph by @nicolasberrod on the rise/fall of the tdi in recent months/weeks. 2/12
The signs that the Delta wave is running out of steam explain why the govt rejected tough new measures – early school closures, enforced home working – last Monday. Discos/clubs will be closed for 4 weeks from today. Three days a week home working is “recommended”. 3/12
Prof Flahault of Geneva Uni says the Delta wave may flatten by the end of next week. He warns it may be a plateau rather than a peak. If this winter wave follows last year’s, it SHOULD fall fast (until Omicron gets here). To compare winter waves look again at graph below. 4/12
What of Omicron? Studies in SA/UK/USA suggest it doubles every 2 -3 days but MAY be milder. It will sweep away Delta. Will that be a good thing (reducing deaths/acute sickness) or a bad (bringing hosps to their knees?). For more info see chart by the health writer Eric Topol 5/12
In France only 59 Omicron cases have been identified, compared to 12 a week ago. But France is still very ill-equipped for variant-spotting compared to Britain. The real figure is almost certainly higher. 6/12
Before this week’s stats, here is a story for anti-vaxxers. A 57 yrs old woman died of C19 in a Paris area hospital last week. She had a fake vax certificate bought from a doctor (yes). If the hosp had known she was unvaxxed, she might have lived. 7/12
leparisien.fr/societe/sante/…
This week’s stats:
There were 55,339 cases yesterday – bringing the running average to 48,248. Many of these cases are among primary age children and mostly v mild. Hence the thought given by govt– but rejected – to advancing school hols from next weekend. 8/12
Acute cases/deaths are rising but not dramatically. Patients in acute care were 2,489 last night, 21% up in a week. Deaths average 120 a day – up 44%. The graph below compares death rates over the last 3 years. Thanks to vaxxes, 2021 is more like 2019 (pre-C19) than 2020. 9/12
Over 13.7m people have now had a third jab – about 60% of those eligible. They are running at 550,000 a day - a record 781,329 yesterday. The govt target of 20m by Xmas should be reached. But France is playing catch up (once again) with the UK which is already over 20m. 10/12
Third-jab coverage of older people is high. For 1st and 2nd jabs it’s still comparatively low. Over 75’s are now 90.6% first jabbed, 89.1% 2nd jabbed and 69.6% third jabbed. For “all adults” the figures are 91.1%, 89.4% and 24.5%. For details see @nicolasberrod charts. 11/12
Hang in there.

12/12

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More from @john_lichfield

10 Dec
It’s Friday and this is a big day in the Anglo—French fish war. The European Commission has given Britain until tonight to move towards a settlement of the 11 months old dispute over licences for Fr boats to fish within 6-12 miles of the S Engl and Channel Islands coasts. 1/10
The UK government refuses to recognise this deadline. France says it will ask the EU to take retaliatory action – and will otherwise take action of its own – unless there is some movement by Britain (not necessarily a complete solution) by tonight. 2/10
It's worth pointing out that there has been SOME movement in the last month while the dispute has been out of the headlines. The French said in November that they were missing 180 licences. Now the Fr sea minister reckons it’s 94. Other accounts suggest 104. (Sigh) 3/10
Read 10 tweets
4 Dec
Weekly French Covid Thread

A very worrying week. New cases jumped by 52% to 38,887 a day. The incidence rate for the 5th wave (366.8 cases/100,000 people/7 days) is now above the peaks of the 3rd and 4th waves in April/August. And Omicron has yet to arrive in big numbers… 1/10
President Macron will chair a health council on Monday. Limits on numbers in bars/ restos/cinemas etc are possible. So is an early start to school hols, due to begin 18 Dec. Covid is raging amongst 6-10 year olds – whose incidence rate is 750, double the national rate. 2/10
Why such a surge in a country where adults are 90% double-vaxxed? In retrospect, France was too slow to take up booster/ 3rd jabs – partly the government’s fault, partly public complacency and vax-shyness. Booster jabs are now booming at 400,000 a day (550,000 yesterday). 3/10
Read 10 tweets
1 Dec
Fish war latest. Not a big breakthrough but a significant advance which, by implication, weakens the UK and Jersey govt positions.
Guernsey has just issued 43 permanent licenses for French boats to fish within the island’s 12 mile limit. 1/6
lemonde.fr/international/…
Guernsey – also covering Sark and Alderney - has always been more cooperative than Jersey or UK. It has been rolling over lots of temporary licences for 11 months since Brexit. It has now issued 43 out of 59 permanent permits requested by France. Others still being considered 2/6
Only 111 French licences for inshore fishing are now outstanding, according to Paris.
In cricket “111” is known as a “Nelson”. Ha ha.
3/6
Read 8 tweets
20 Nov
Weekly French Covid Thread

A worrying week. Covid-19 infections in France almost doubled (an 83.8% increase) to an average of 16,066 a day. New cases have now been 20,000+ for 3 days in a row. The Fifth Wave is here in a big way – and likely to stay until the New Year.
1/10
The Fr government still insists there are no plans for new lockdowns, curfews or other harsh restrictions. It is, however, expected shortly to open 3rd or booster vaccinations to over 40’s and maybe (like the US) to all-comers 6 months after a 2nd jab. 2/10
How to explain the new wave, despite high levels of vaccination? Colder weather; more indoor living; complacency; eroding vax protection; the tenacity of the Delta variant, which is now virtually 100% of cases in Fr/the EU.
3/10
Read 10 tweets
13 Nov
Weekly French Covid Thread
No more talk of ripples or wavelets. The fifth wave of Covid-19 infection is here – although still weak in France compared to Austria, Germany or NL. New cases in Fr averaged 8,739 in the last week, compared to 6,592 a week ago – a 32.5% increase.
1/10
The health minister, Olivier Véran, said on Wed that it “looked like the 5th wave” of the pandemic was upon us. He thought that it could be contained. As yet, Fr has no plans for new restrictions, unlike NL (curfews on shops/bars etc) or Austria (lockdown for the unvaxxed) 2/10
Last Monday President Macron made booster shots for the over 65s a requirement of the health pass from 15 Dec. There since has been a stampede by non 3rd-vaxxed oldies – up to 200,000 jabs a day, double last week. There are still, however, circa 1.5m non-boosted over 65’s. 3/10
Read 11 tweets
4 Nov
Non-fish people look away. Here is my reply to a dishonest kettle of fish dumped on Parliament yesterday by the British government which purportedly “clarified” numbers at the heart of the UK-French dispute about fishing licences. 1/11

questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statem…
Lord Frost, @DavidGHFrost, tweeted that for “full transparency” the government was “setting out full and authoritative data” on which licences had been issued and which ones refused. The presentation was as transparent as the mud at the bottom of the English Channel. 2/11
First, that old sea serpent – the claim that UKG has issued 98% of licences requested by EU governments (see below). This is achieved by leaving out all 286 French requests for licences in Jersey/Guernsey waters (ie not technically in “UK” waters but at the heart of the row) 3/11
Read 11 tweets

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