(Paris) “The epidemic resumption is confirmed” in France and begins to be felt in the hospital, underlined Friday the health agency Public Health France in its weekly update on COVID-19.
During the week of October 18, “the resumption of viral circulation was confirmed in metropolitan France”, indicates the health agency. And in addition to this increase in infections, “hospital admissions and critical care are on the rise again,” points out Public Health France.
“At the national level, the incidence rate (proportion of new cases within the population, Editor’s note) was again increasing (+ 14%)” for the week concerned, during which it amounted to 55 new cases for 100,000 inhabitants, i.e. more than the alert threshold of 50.
This threshold of 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants is exceeded “in 44 metropolitan departments” and is “increasing or stable in all regions”. In the week of October 18, it “reached 73 per 100,000 inhabitants in Pays de la Loire (+ 52%) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (+1%), and 71 in Île-de-France (- 0.2%) ”.
Across the country, “5,276 cases were diagnosed per day” on average over the week concerned.
In addition, “the number of new hospitalizations increased slightly (1281, + 2%), with a higher increase in new critical care admissions (346, + 12%)”. Currently, some 6,500 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, including just over 1,000 in critical care, reserved for the most serious cases.
“In mainland France, the rates of new hospitalizations and admissions in critical care (are) increasing or stable in all regions”, according to Public Health France. Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Île-de-France and Pays de la Loire have the highest rates.
In this context of increase, “it is essential to encourage the vaccination of people not vaccinated against COVID-19 as well as the administration of the booster to the 65 years and over eligible, and to maintain the adherence to the barrier gestures to a high level ”, insists the health agency.
Despite these increases, the government hopes that vaccination, which protects against serious forms, will prevent congestion in hospitals. Almost three quarters of the French population are fully vaccinated.