A few weeks ago, the coronavirus epidemic was decreasing and the indicators declined to such a low level the French have been able to enjoy new liberties earlier than expected such as the end of curfew. It was hard to even imagine the situation could escalate and worsens so quickly. And yet, the swift spread of the Delta variant seems to likely cause a fourth wave.
What to expect then? Because since the third wave, the vaccination campaign has improved in France with 53% of the population given one dose of vaccine and 26,350,232 French are fully vaccinated. But according to the Scientific Committee, it is necessary to reach a total of 90% to 95% of vaccinees or people contaminated to reach herd immunity. A threshold that has been reviewed upwards because of this variant more contagious than the other strains.
“We thought we were going to have a quiet summer, but the Delta variant changes everything”. Institut Pasteur epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet warns: the fourth wave might be as big as the previous ones. According to the specialist, France might have to reinstate some measures such as outdoor facemask-wearing. He also recommends French to get vaccinated and enjoy summer with moderation. Be careful, then!
