France has seen a slight rebound in the number of Covid-19 cases since August 1. The numbers of medical procedures and emergency room visits have risen amid the appearance of a new variant nicknamed "Eris". Although there is no cause for panic, experts say it is worth keeping an eye on the situation as many superspreader events like festivals take place during the summer months.
Covid-19 is once again making headlines at the height of summer in France, as well as several other countries, due to an upsurge in cases.
The number of visits to emergency rooms for suspected Covid-19 cases rose by an average of 31 percent in the week following the Bayonne Festival – one of Europe’s largest festive gatherings, which attracted 1.3 million people from July 26 to July 30 – compared to the previous week.
Nine hundred and twenty patients across all age groups were seen, according to Santé publique France, a government body under the authority of the health ministry, which stated that such numbers remain "moderate". These are the only figures available for now, as daily monitoring of the pandemic ended on June 30 due to the "favourable epidemiological context".
French medical emergency service SOS Medécins reported an 84 percent increase in medical consultations for suspected Covid-19 cases last week compared to the previous one. While this increase concerned "all age groups", it particularly affected children under the age of two.
The rise in incidence in mainland France is "localised, particularly in the southwest and essentially driven by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region", said the health ministry, noting that "most cases are in very popular holiday regions".
A variant more resistant to antibodies
This upsurge could be explained by the appearance of a new EG.5.1 variant, nicknamed "Eris" – the goddess of discord in Greek mythology – by some scientists. The World Health Organization (WHO) added this newcomer to the list of "variants of interest" on Wednesday.
"A new Covid-19 wave is appearing with the emergence of a new variant, which is more transmissible than its predecessors and establishing itself as the dominant variant," says Antoine Flahault, epidemiologist and director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva’s Faculty of Medicine. "This is what seems to have been happening in recent weeks with the Omicron EG.5.1 sub-variant."
The EG.5.1 strain is currently present in nearly 35 percent of viruses sequenced in France, according to Gisaid, an international database that shares official data on Covid-19. This figure "should not be taken literally", says Mircea Sofonea, senior lecturer in epidemiology at the University of Montpellier in southern France, because "it only takes positive tests into account and we have certainly not tested all infected people".
Since the beginning of the Omicron era, new variants – such as Eris – have been regularly identified in France as being more resistant to antibodies. These have "immune escape properties", says Sofonea. "This is nothing new. But the current upsurge in the epidemic shows that the virus is continuing to mutate."
'No more serious forms'
The situation remains under control so far, with no strain on hospitals, particularly intensive care units. "In the countries where this variant has been detected, there are no more serious forms of the disease than with previous Omicron variants," says Flahault. "In particular, healthcare systems are no more saturated than they were before." Furthermore, the WHO has stated that "the public health risk posed by EG.5 is evaluated as low at the global level".
Nevertheless, researchers warn that governments must remain cautious and plan ahead to avoid finding themselves in an alarming situation in a few months' time. "By the autumn, traffic may reach significant levels for healthcare systems," says Sofonea. "Flu and bronchiolitis epidemics can occur during this period. That's what is so worrying."
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A number of measures have been proposed to curb the virus' transmission. "We could aim to eliminate the risk of renewed Covid-19 waves, just like the seasonal flu, by improving indoor air quality," says Flahault, who first and foremost recommends "wearing FFP2 masks in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas open to the public".
Flahault belives that vaccination remains key. While the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines does seem to diminish over time, a booster vaccine in the autumn "would reduce the risk of serious forms of the disease", he says. A new vaccination campaign, targeting Covid-19 and the flu, is scheduled "from mid-October", according to the health ministry.
This article has been translated from the original in French.
