As the coronavirus epidemic significantly decreased in France, the threat of variants is now a game-changer. The UK variant – called Alpha – more contagious than the historic strain, originated a third wave before dominating the French territory. But there is another challenger joining in.
This time, this is the Delta variant, the same mutant that originated a sharp boom in cases in India. It is 60% more contagious than the Alpha strain. As a consequence? Its high contagiousness jeopardizes the fragile balance in the country. It spreads so swiftly it is now dominating. And it might also originate a fourth epidemic wave.
The arrival of the Delta variant leads scientists and elected representatives to adapt. The Scientific Committee reviewed the herd immunity threshold upwards: reaching 90% to 95% of vaccinees or contaminated people is necessary to hope and control the Covid-19 epidemic. For the record, to date 52.70% of the French have been given at least one injection, and 39.30% of the population is fully vaccinated.
