A Covid-19 screening test on the Côte d'Azur (Illustration) -

Syspéo / Sipa

  • Located on a very high plateau of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Alpes-Maritimes department is the hardest hit in mainland France.

  • Professor Christian Pradier, head of the public health department at the Nice University Hospital, indicates that it is not easy to explain this phenomenon when the area seemed rather spared during the first wave.

The highest number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (490), overheating resuscitation services ... Located on a (very) high plateau of the epidemic, the Alpes-Maritimes department is the hardest hit of Metropolitan France.

A situation that continues.

How to explain it, when he was rather less impacted than the others, during the first wave? 

20 Minutes

tries to find out more with Professor Christian Pradier, head of the public health department at the CHU de Nice.

What is the current situation ?

We have been on a high plateau for five weeks already.

With a large number of cases and therefore inevitably an impact on the care services.

[The initial resuscitation capacity is largely exceeded (117.2%) and 92% of the beds, including those specially released, were occupied Monday evening according to the ARS].

Can this wave which is impacting the Alpes-Maritimes more strongly today be explained by a lack of immunity in the population?

We do not know anything.

As with us, the Great West was less affected during the first wave and yet it still seems to be rather spared today.

Especially since we realize more and more that today's epidemic is due to variants [English currently represents 40% of contaminations according to the ARS which also lists at least 50 cases of South African variants] that the immunity of the first wave failed to counteract.

What could then justify this situation?

Studies are being carried out but for the moment we do not know why one territory is more affected by the epidemic than another.

From what I see, I do not believe that the Azureans respect barrier gestures less than other French people.

Could the tourist positioning of the Alpes-Maritimes be a lead?

There too there is no certainty.

But having an international airport can be a source of variations.

The initiative of the mayor of Nice to want to analyze wastewater from aircraft toilets in search of them is interesting.

This can allow action to be taken very quickly.

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  • Health

  • Society

  • Covid 19

  • epidemic

  • Coronavirus

  • Nice