The Covid-19 is still there. Contaminations have been on the rise over the past two weeks, but levels remain low. The incidence rate is up by +26% the week of March 13 to 19. It reached 70 cases per 100,000 last week, and 78 per 100,000 on Monday. Far from the alert threshold set at the heart of the epidemic at 250 per 100,000.
Some 47,274 cases have been identified the week of March 13 to 19, compared to 37,537 the previous week. With the change in the new rules for the use of tests since February, these indicators must be interpreted with caution. The use of tests is less systematic, and the results do not accurately reflect the circulation of the virus.
New hospitalizations are down
A look at hospitalizations completes the vision of the evolution of the epidemic. Now, with a very large majority of French people both already exposed to the virus, and vaccinated, encountering Sars-Cov 2 presents less risk of developing a serious form of the disease.
If the use of emergencies and SOS Médecins for suspicion of Covid was increasing (respectively 1,899 and 1,311 passages, according to the last weekly update from Public Health France), new hospitalizations decreased the week of March 13 to 19. The fact remains that only 23.2% of 60-79 year olds and 25.9% of 80 year olds and over received a booster adapted to the Omicron variant, and 25.4% of 60-79 year olds and 8.5% of 80 year olds and more received a dose less than 6 and 3 months old respectively. The progression of cases invites us to remind the most vulnerable of the necessary vaccination.
