All flights between Brazil and France suspended “until further notice“. This is what Prime Minister Jean Castex announces on April 13 to respond to concerns around the Brazilian variant.

This variant, also called P1, is wreaking havoc in Brazil, where it is responsible for 66,000 deaths in the month of March alone. If it is still very much in the minority in France, it is worrying because it is more contagious and would also be more deadly than the classic strain of the coronavirus. Another problem: it would be resistant to anti-covid vaccines.

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An increase in cases in Seine-Saint-Denis

And even if few cases have so far been recorded in France, scientists fear a spread. “At first it may seem trivial, then it can rise very quickly“, underlines the epidemiologist Antoine Flahaut in the columns of the Parisian.

A fear shared by Professor Stéphane Gaudry, resuscitator at the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny (Seine Saint-Denis) invited to the Health magazine this April 13. “There is a significant increase in the number of cases with the Brazilian variant in Seine-Saint-Denis, where I work“he testifies. Indeed,”a week ago it was around 3% and this morning around 6%“he reports.”There is a risk that this variant will take a certain place, we will see in the coming weeks. “

Limit the arrival of new cases

If for the moment, it is not the majority in France, it is because it faces a major competitor: the British variant, also very contagious. But the more the number of cases of the Brazilian variant increases, the more it can gain ground.

Reason enough to justify the closure of air links, as demanded by opposition MPs and doctors, including Professor Rémi Salomon, president of the medical commission of the AP-HP interviewed by France Inter this April 13: “If we really want to block the Brazilian variant, we block all trips “.

PCR testing alone is not enough

The only PCR test, until now is required at the departure or the arrival of the flight, did not allow to detect all the contaminated people, in particular if they were contaminated just before the trip.

Another, less strict solution was to impose a 10-day isolation period on arrival, with a test at the end of the isolation period. A rule chosen in particular by the United Kingdom, which punishes any offender with a fine of 10,000 pounds (approximately 11,500 euros).