IN FRANCE THE STRATEGY IS TO TEST ALERT PROTECT AGAINST FOREIGN VARIANTS

USPA NEWS - In France, the bar of 80,000 deaths due to COVID-19 has been crossed since the start of the pandemic. Faced with the arrival in France of the new form of COVID-19, with the three variants: 20I / 501Y.V1 (“British“), 20H / 501Y.V2 (“South African“) or 20J / 501Y.V3 (“ Brazilian “), the French government is implementing a new TEST, ALERT and PROTECT strategy in a nation maintained in a state of health emergency. The curfew before 6h pm has been maintained, and the head of state Emmanuel Macron, has perforated "to hold on" and to rely on the behavior of the French to avoid putting in place a new confinement, which will be tragic for the economy which is at half mast, and morale at the lowest among the French.

PRESIDENT MACRON PROMISES TO SET UP TWO MEALS AT 1 € PER DAY FOR STUDENTS--------------------------- The situation of the students is rather alarming because hunger has set in among many of them, to the point that President Francis Macron has urgently decided to grant meals at € 1, for lunch and dinner at the university restaurant.---------------------- President Macron has promised to set up two meals a day at 1 euro "at the university canteen, including for those who are not scholarship holders, international students", for all those "who ask". Purchasing power of students fell drastically because of interruptions in odd jobs, of which confinement and curfew deprived them. The decline in morale and psychological suffering of septuplants has also increased tenfold following social distancing preventing them from leading a social life, and the lack of prospects in the face of this pandemic, qualifying them as "COVID-19 generation" synonymous with "sacrificed generation ". The government is considering the idea of “‹“‹a Universal Minimum Income, following President Macron's initiative promising a sum of € 500, which will be distributed to the most disadvantaged students, to ensure their survival, during the visit of the Paris-Saclay University site (Essonne), Thursday February 4. During an exchange with students at the University of Paris-Saclay (Essonne), the Head of State also warned them that "a return to normal is not possible in the second semester" of the academic year and that it will be necessary to live "with the constraints" sanitary "until the summer". In addition, President Macron also promised the students the establishment of a "psy-check", to help the most vulnerable among them, because some students have reveled suicidal ideas ...

STRENGTHENING MEASURES TO COMBAT THE SPREAD OF VARIANTS -------------------------------------------------- Given the progress in the distribution of the 20I / 501Y.V1 (“British“), 20H / 501Y.V2 (“South African“) or 20J / 501Y.V3 (“Brazilian“) variants on the national territory, the Ministry of Solidarity and Health is implementing additional measures. Specific reinforcement is planned for the so-called South African and Brazilian variants, whose circulation is now in the minority, but which presents a risk of immune and vaccine escape. All of this information was sent to healthcare professionals at the start of the week by instruction from the General Committee of Health. TESTING - GENERALIZATION OF THE VARIANT SCREENING STRATEGY---------------------------------------------------- Any test (rapid antigen or PCR) giving a positive result must now be subject to a second-line screening RT-PCR, which must be carried out to determine whether it is a contamination. by a variant of interest.The laboratories carrying out the screening tests must send the results within a period of less than 36 hours to the laboratories having carried out the first-line test, so that they can notify the contaminated person that it is a contamination by a variant of interest. This information will then be confirmed by the health insurance tracer in charge of contact-tracing.-------------------------------------------------------------------- Only RT-PCR kits having two targets, including at least the N501Y mutation common to the three variants currently circulating, and making it possible to distinguish the so-called “British“ variant on the one hand and the so-called “South African and Brazilian“ variants of on the other hand, should be used as a second line. The list of RT-PCR screening kits that can be used is available on the website of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health. Health professionals are asked in front of a person presenting for an antigen test, when he is returning from a trip, or in connection with a person who has recently traveled, or living in an area where an increase abrupt incidence is observed, to recommend RT-PCR.

ALERT - REINFORCEMENT OF THE SEARCH FOF ADDITIONAL TRANSMISSION CHANNELS------------------------- Tracing and isolation continues to be initiated upon receipt of the first-line test result, without waiting for screening RT-PCR results. Enhancement devices upon variant contamination are triggered upon receipt of the result of the screening PCR. The priority remains the prompt isolation of cases and early warning of their contact.------------------------------------------------------ As part of contact-tracing, Health Insurance tells the patient if he is a carrier of a variant and which one. All identified at-risk contacts are asked to notify themselves the people with whom they have been in contact at risk so that they can: - Reinforce the application of barrier measures, in particular the wearing of a mask in the presence of other people; - Telework whenever possible; - Voluntarily reduce their social contacts during the following 7 days; - Perform a test without delay from the first symptoms. As soon as they are identified, at-risk contacts of people carrying a so-called "South African or Brazilian" variant must benefit from a PCR test in order to start contact-tracing operations without delay. If the result is positive, the second-line RT-PCR screening test is performed immediately. In the event of a negative test, an isolation of 7 days from the last risky contact must be observed, then a PCR test must be carried out at the end of these 7 days.

PROTECT - INTENSIFICATION OF MONITORING COMPLIANCE WITH THE ISOLATION OF PEOPLE WITH A VARIANT------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For all three variants, priority is given to implementing early and well-respected isolation. High-risk contacts and people suspected or confirmed to have been infected with a variant should be subject to enhanced monitoring: - Home visits by nurses are systematically offered; - Data subjects whose personal situation suggests a high risk of propagation must be systematically offered a specific accommodation offer.For the so-called "South African and Brazilian" variants, the duration of isolation is increased to 10 days. For positive cases, at the end of these 10 days, and in the absence of fever for more than 48 hours for symptomatic patients, lifting of isolation is conditional on obtaining a negative test result. This test will be performed during a second nurse visit. If the test is positive, the isolation is extended for 7 days after the result. The « TEST ALERT PROTECT" chain and its players are strengthening themselves to control the circulation of variants in the territory. But the control of the chains of contamination and the control of the epidemic can only be done with the mobilization of all, by the daily respect of the barrier measures including the wearing of the mask, the test for the slightest symptom, the strict respect of isolation when sick or at risk, and use of the Tous Anti COVID application. Source: French Ministry of Health