Four years ago today, on March 17, 2020, France was in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That year, the coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in France after cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Just four years after the first total confinement, what is the situation with this disease which has caused nearly 170,000 deaths in the country? Health update and return on the economic consequences of this crisis.
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A little over four years after the start of the pandemic, Covid-19 cases continue to decline year after year. This winter, the coronavirus even comes in second place among diseases after the flu, itself in decline in the country.
According to Santé Publique France, Covid-19, which records several outbreaks per year, is currently at the bottom of the wave, and the disease has become an opportunistic condition. However, the authorities point out that respect by all for barrier gestures remains essential in public places and in the presence of vulnerable people. Wearing a mask in case of symptoms, washing your hands and regularly ventilating closed spaces is always required.
The circulation of the virus in France is decreasing. It is now considered moderate. However, the vaccine is recommended every six months for people aged over 65 and staff at risk such as caregivers. As for those over 80 and immunocompromised people, the vaccine against Covid-19 is highly recommended. A new vaccination campaign is planned from April 15.
Economic stigma
If Covid has lost ground from a health point of view, the scars of the pandemic are still being felt from an economic point of view. At the start of the pandemic, in 2020, and during successive lockdowns, the economy was supported by the government, which injected money. It was the famous “ whatever it costs » by Emmanuel Macron.
Since the coronavirus pandemic, France has returned to growth: +1.6% between 2019 and 2023. This level is acceptable, but it is far from that of other countries in the euro zone, which experienced growth of 3 .3% on average. By comparison, that of the United States increased by 8% over the same period.
A mixed performance for France, whose consumption remained relatively low compared to its neighbors. France has also lost export market share, explains Dorian Roucher, head of the economic department of the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), interviewed by the newspaper The echoes.
Indicators which are worrying, especially since the policy of “ whatever it costs », which certainly kept the French economy afloat during the pandemic, increased the public debt. It climbed to more than 110% of gross domestic product (GDP) last year, when that of the euro zone is just over 82% of GDP on average.
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