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The specter of a re-containment of the inhabitants of the Rhône takes on a little more consistency every day. While several French regions or departments, including Ile-de-France and Hauts-de-France, are once again subject to “light” confinement, the latest figures from theRegional Health Agency Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes leave little room for doubt.
A feeling of concern confirmed by the information coming from the Rhône contact tracing platform. Located in the premises of the Rhône CPAM, this telephone platform constitutes an excellent barometer of the epidemic. And for the past few days, the barometer has turned stormy… “For several weeks, there was a sluggish recovery in the coronavirus epidemic. Even if we stayed on a fairly high contamination plateau. Since mid-February, the number of contact cases has started to rise again. And, since the end of February, there has been a steady but very significant increase in positive cases. “, Explains Estelle Coulet, deputy director of health expenditure control at the Rhône CPAM and co-pilot of the contact tracing platform.
Reconfinement of the Rhône: alarming contamination figures
In fact, the latest figures are telling and alarming. In the first week of March, the platform recorded 4,158 positive cases in the Rhône. A week later, nearly 5,000 reports of contamination were identified. And the acceleration of the epidemic was confirmed last week with 6,700 positive cases recorded in one week.
As for contact cases, they have doubled in the space of a month: 13,600 last week against 6,700 in mid-February. “We can clearly see the new epidemic wave sweeping through the department“, Observes, lucid, Estelle Coulet.
A rising incidence rate in the Rhône
Is it a relaxation in barrier gestures or the rapid spread of the English variant? Still, all the indicators are deteriorating. As confirmed by the incidence rate which is now around 400,000 cases / 100,000 inhabitants. While the alert threshold is set at 250 cases / 100,000 inhabitants. “The English variant has become so dominant (Editor’s note: more than 70% of cases) that it is no longer strictly speaking measured and traced by our tracing teams. On the other hand, we remain very vigilant on the South African and Brazilian variants. We are recalling all patients affected by this variant for reinforced instructions in order to reduce the risk of transmission. At this stage these variants remain in limited proportion (less than 5%) »?
English, South African and Brazilian variants: reinforced instructions
As a reminder, these reinforced instructions in the event of proven contamination with the English variant of Covid-19 are as follows:
- Strict isolation of 10 days,
- home nurse visits
- generalization of the contact warning: contact cases warn their own contact cases of a possible risk of contamination
These instructions are accompanied, for patients suffering from the South African or Brazilian variant and their contact cases, additional rules within 7 days following isolation:
- Voluntary reduction of contacts
- Wearing a surgical mask
- Self-monitoring and testing at the slightest doubt for contact cases
- Avoid contact with people at risk
- Avoid public transport
The youngest victims of the third wave
In this degraded health context, the Villeurbanne contact tracing platform is preparing for a next peak of activity. In this perspective, a call for mobilization has been launched. After peaking at 350 people at the end of October, at the height of the second wave, they are now 300 taking turns on the phone. And probably twenty more next week.
“The situation is worrying. We find ourselves somewhat in the situation of early October, on the eve of the second wave. However, according to data from the ARS, fewer contaminations are recorded in people over 80 years of age. But many more patients in the 20-50 age group are infected in the workplace. The vaccination strategy will be decisive in the coming weeks to avoid the third wave in the Rhône ”, concludes Estelle Coulet.
TO KNOW
The latest information from the Haute Autorité de Santé such as ARS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes or laboratories leaves little room for doubt. After a short respite at the start of the year, the Covid-19 epidemic is experiencing a strong rebound with the arrival of spring. In the establishments of the Hospices Civils de Lyon, the occupancy rate of intensive care beds is around 95%. The situation is also deteriorating rapidly in most of the other departments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, like Haute-Savoie, Loire, Isère or Ain, with incidence rates everywhere greater than 250/100 00 inhabitants.
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