In a point of view published this Thursday, February 18, 2021 in the medical journal The Lancet Public Health, members of the French Scientific Council are arguing for a new approach to containment. Based on “a social contract”, the idea is to offer self-isolation for the oldest and most fragile people.
The Scientific Council calls for the self-isolation of the most vulnerable
In a point of view published this Thursday in the journal The Lancet, members of the scientific council (Professor Jean-François Delfraissy, Franck Chauvin, president of the High Council for Public Health, anthropologist Laëtitia Atlani-Duault, virologist Bruno Lina and the infectious disease specialist Denis Malvy) argue for a “new approach” to containment based on “ a clear and transparent social contract Between generations. According to them, we should no longer chain generalized confinements to fight Covid-19. Conversely, they suggest opting for a ” social contract Between generations where the oldest and the most vulnerable would agree to self-isolate.
For Jean-François Delfraissy, President of the French Scientific Council, “ under this social contract, the younger generations would accept the constraint of preventive measures (such as masks, physical distance), on condition that the oldest and most vulnerable groups adopt not only these measures but also others, more specific (such as self-isolation according to a criterion of frailty), in order to reduce their risk of infection “.
Reassess generalized containment
To justify their remarks, the signatory members of the platform explain: ” the long-awaited end of this global health crisis could well be continually postponed as new variants emerge “. That is why, ” it is no longer possible to use a succession of generalized confinements as the main response to the Covid-19 pandemic “. Especially since the new variants can make vaccines less effective.
” Even though containment is attractive to many scientists and seen as a default measure by political leaders […], its use must be reassessed so that it is no longer implemented as a last resort “Specify the five members in favor of this social contract who point the finger at the consequences” devastating »National confinement, both at the economic and social level. Indeed, “lThe social and health consequences (especially for mental health) are also colossal, especially for the younger generations, although they are at low risk »They conclude.
