A person has tested positive for the Sars-CoV-2 mutation in Marseille. Research is underway to detect other potential cases around her: a total of 45 contact persons have been identified, 23 of whom are positive for the coronavirus.
- In the Bouches du Rhône, a patient tested positive for the English variant of SARS-CoV-2
- He is part of a family who came from England to spend the end of year celebrations in France.
- On January 9, the curfew was brought forward to 6 p.m. in the Bouches du Rhône
The British variant of Covid-19 is present in France: after a first case detected in Bagneux (Ile-de-France), a new person tested positive for this mutation in Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône. “The first person to test positive performed an RT-PCR screening test on December 31, 2020said the Regional Health Agency, in a communicated Saturday January 9, 2021. The Marseille University Hospital Institute has shown that it is the variant of Covid-19 from the United Kingdom.”
????Press release ▶️ British variant: a probable family cluster detected ⁰ in the Bouches-du-Rhône#COVID19 #covidvariant
????https://t.co/c68v588a4z— ARS Paca (@ARSPaca) January 9, 2021
45 contact cases identified
The individual infected with the Sars-CoV-2 mutation, called VoC 202012/01, is part of a family of five French people, living in the United Kingdom and coming to spend the end of year celebrations in France. The health authorities have identified 45 contact cases around this person, among them, 23 others are positive for Covid-19. Analyzes of their tests are still ongoing to determine whether their sequencing also matches that of the virus mutation. All people are quarantined. In the Bouches-du-Rhône, the incidence rate of Covid-19 is currently over 225 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. On Saturday January 9, the curfew was brought forward to 6 p.m. throughout the department, for a period of at least two weeks.
How to fight against the spread of this mutation of the virus?
The VoC 202012/01 mutation worries the health authorities in France. For the moment, there is no proof that it is more dangerous, on the other hand, it is much more contagious. In the UK, researchers analyzed the transmission of this new form of the virus, compared to Sars-CoV-2: they found that it is twice as contagious. “We don’t want this virus to start spreading in the territory“, declared the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran Thursday, January 7 on BFM TV. To prevent it from spreading, the government is betting on a strict border closure. To come to France, people in the United Kingdom must present a negative test. In parallel, the PCR tests carried out in France are analyzed scrupulously, in the slightest doubt, they are sequenced to detect the possible presence of the virus mutation. For the time being, the manufacturers of the various vaccines assure that they are effective against it, but the first vaccinations, carried out in particular in England, will make it possible to confirm it. In the country, 60% of the cases of Covid-19 recorded in December correspond to the mutation of the virus.
Restrictions maintained
The spread of this new virus is also one of the reasons why restrictive measures are maintained or even reinforced in France: curfew, closure of museums, theaters, cinemas, as well as bars and restaurants. The Prime Minister said Thursday, January 7, that the closure of the latter would be extended at least until mid-February.
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