A patient with coronavirus in the intensive care unit of the Toulouse University Hospital.

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FRED SCHEIBER / SIPA

  • While the second wave seemed to be under control in Occitania, the number of contaminations is on the rise again.

  • According to the Regional Health Agency, between the last week of 2020 and the first of 2021, incidence rates increased on average by 50% for the whole population, but by 82% among 10-20 year olds.

Occitanie thought it had reached the end of the second wave, the last few weeks showing a steady decline in new positive cases of Covid-19, while in the east of the country an upsurge has been recorded.

But the latest figures presented Tuesday evening by the Regional Health Agency suggest a completely different scenario, even if that of a curfew at 6 p.m. is not yet on the agenda.

“The latest epidemiological monitoring indicators disseminated by Public Health France highlight a clear increase in the circulation of the virus in Occitania.

The incidence rates have risen sharply in recent days in all the departments of the region, to approach or even exceed 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants ”, indicates its bulletin.

Increase in hospitalizations

This is the case of the department of Ariège which reached a rate of 217.2 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants, when it is 174 in the region, 156.8 in Haute-Garonne or 178 in Hérault.

This increase is also reflected in the test positivity rate, which is now 5.9% in Occitania against 2.2% a fortnight earlier.

And one of the signals is also the reproduction rate, if in France, the average number of new patients caused by an infected person is 0.99 when it is 1.06 in Occitanie.

“This increase currently affects all age groups, especially the youngest.

Between the last week of 2020 and the first of 2021, the incidence rates increased by an average of 50% for the entire population but by 82% among 10-20 year olds ”, specifies the ARS.

To date, no SrasCov-2 variant has been detected in the region.

And the hospitals are far from being saturated, the blood pressure rate in intensive care being 36.7% in the region when it is on average 52.9% in France.

But an increase in hospitalizations is being felt, "the current level of activity already remaining close to that of last spring", notes the regional health agency.

To stem this upsurge, the authorities are counting on the impact of vaccination.

From January 4 to 12, 17,779 people were vaccinated in Occitania, including 4,081 elderly people and 13,698 priority professionals.

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