FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron is so arrogant he doesn't bother listening to experts on Covid any more – despite soaring cases, reports from the country claim.
Sources say Macron believes he's such an expert in the spread of coronavirus that he "no longer follows the advice of scientists".
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And the president has been blasted in newspaper Le Monde – as France's crisis continues to spiral out of control.
The paper says Macron has flouted the advice of his experts for almost a year after he announced the reopening of schools in advance of scientific advice.
And since then, he's spent so much time arguing with his health advisors that sources apparently joke: "The president has become an epidemiologist."
Macron routinely battles Health Secretary and medical doctor Olivier Véran, as well as the committee of experts advising on the response to the pandemic.
One source claimed: "He looks at all the studies as soon as they're published, so much so that sometimes he can bring up one that the experts in front of him haven't read."
Macron also follows Twitter account of Guillaume Rozier, founder of the CovidTracker site, which monitors the epidemic, the paper reports.
France's education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer defended his boss, and said: "The president has acquired real expertise in health matters."
Before he was elected, cocky Macron famously announced he wanted a "Jupiterian” presidency as a remote, dignified figure, like the Roman god of gods.
And that proclamation led to claims the former merchant banker was conceited and arrogant.
He has repeatedly tried to avoid a third national lockdown – but embattled doctors have warned they're approaching crisis point as yet another wave of Covid sweeps across France.
On Monday, health authorities in the country said the number of patients in intensive care with Covid has reached 4,974.
Despite surging cases, the government has stopped short of full stay-at-home orders, with many shops still open and people allowed to meet outside in small groups.
Pressure is now rising to close schools and go further, with medics and epidemiologists warning the disease is out of control.
More than 40,000 new cases are being recorded every day.
A critic of Macron told Le Monde: "It is very naïve to claim that the president has epidemiological expertise because he reads everything in this area."
Earlier this month, Macron refused to apologise for his country’s disastrous coronavirus strategy.
He said: "I can tell you that I have no mea culpa to offer, no remorse, no acknowledgement of failure."
Adding to the country's battle against the virus is that France is well behind the UK on its jabs roll-out following a series of U-turns of the AstraZeneca jab.
Macron initially claimed the jab was not suitable for those aged over 65 before announcing it shouldn't be given to those under 55 – and then later reintroducing it.
The vaccine has been backed by Europe's regulatory agency, as well as the World Health Organisation.
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said: "Yes, the president is interested in anything related to the virus.
"But that does not mean that he is a substitute for epidemiologists.
"On the contrary, he wants to draw as much as possible from their analysis, before making a decision."
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