At the very beginning of 2022, the (rapid) progression of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is forcing health authorities to review their copy. Asked by our colleagues from Sunday newspaperthe Minister of Health Olivier Véran lists the new rules to be respected in order to best regulate the Covid-19 epidemic.
First thing to know: if, according to the Minister of Health, the Omicron variant is “very, very contagious“, and even “too contagious to be totally stopped“, it is also probably less dangerous than the Delta variant since “there are three times fewer serious forms of the disease with Omicron than with Delta“.
No isolation if you are a contact case but fully vaccinated
Hence the different rules for isolating contact cases and people who test positive for the coronavirus:
- If you test positive for coronavirus (by PCR or antigen test) and that your vaccination schedule is complete (that is to say: that you have a valid health pass, with therefore 2 or 3 doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccine), isolate yourself for 5 days then redo a PCR or antigen test. If this second test is negative and you have had no symptoms of Covid-19 for 48 hours, you can resume your activities. Self-isolate for 2 more days if you have symptoms and/or your second PCR or antigen test is positive.
- If you are in contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19 and your vaccination schedule is complete, get tested immediately (by PCR or antigen test). However, isolation is not necessary before obtaining the test result. If your PCR or antigen test is negative, perform a self-test 2 days later and 4 days later.
- If you test positive for Covid-19 (by PCR or antigen test) and your vaccination schedule is incomplete (you are not vaccinated at all or you have not done your reminders: your health pass is not valid), isolate yourself for 7 days then repeat a PCR or antigen test. If this second test is negative and you have had no symptoms of Covid-19 for 48 hours, you can resume your activities. Self-isolate for 3 more days if you have symptoms and/or your second PCR or antigen test is positive.
- If you are in contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19 and your vaccination schedule is incompleteisolate yourself for 7 days and then do a PCR or antigen test.
- If your child tests positive for coronavirus (by a PCR or antigenic test), regardless of their vaccination status : isolate him for 5 days then have him repeat a PCR or antigen test. If this second test is negative and he has had no symptoms of Covid-19 for 48 hours, he can resume his activities. Isolate him for 2 more days if he has symptoms and/or his second PCR or antigen test is positive.
- If your child is in contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19, regardless of their vaccination status : have it tested immediately (by PCR or antigen test). However, isolation is not necessary before obtaining the test result. If his PCR or antigen test is negative, have him perform a self-test 2 days later and 4 days later. If these are negative, he can return to school (with a sworn statement from the parents).
For caregivers, the instructions are (still) different: “the High Council of Public Health has validated the possibility for a caregiver to derogate from isolation under certain conditions and to continue to work even if he has Covid-19, if he has no or few symptoms“explains Olivier Véran. It is therefore on a case-by-case basis.
Source:The Sunday JournalSunday, January 2, 2022
Read also :
- Patient who died at Garches hospital: why is it a bad idea to lie about her vaccination status?
- Covid-19 or flu, how to tell the difference?
- Covid Shaming: “for the people around me, I am guilty of being sick”
