Jean-François Delfraissy, a senior scientific adviser to the French government, says France could face a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases as the number of cases of the delta variant, first detected in India, increases.

Delfraissy added on Wednesday, however, that the rollout of COVID vaccines would help mitigate the impact of this new wave of the virus, which many medical experts believe could hit France in September or October.

“I think we will have a fourth wave, but it will be much more moderate than the previous three waves because the level of vaccinations is different compared to before,” Delfraissy told France Info radio.

The French epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet, who also advises the French government on scientific matters, told BFM TV on Wednesday that the number of COVID-19 infections in France is expected to rise again in September or October.

French Health Minister Olivier Véran said this week that the delta variant of the COVID virus, whose rapid global spread has led some countries to impose travel restrictions, now accounts for about 20 per cent of all COVID cases in France.