In the street in Nantes, February 20, 2021 -

L. Venance / AFP

  • In sharp rise, the incidence rate of Pays-de-la-Loire amounts to 185 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

  • The virus is most active in Sarthe and Maine-et-Loire.

  • Vaccination works in the elderly.

After a period of stability, the Covid-19 epidemic has experienced a significant rise in Pays-de-la-Loire for a week, according to the latest epidemiological data published by the regional health agency (ARS).

The regional incidence rate reached 185 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants, against 150 a week earlier.

A level now comparable to the days preceding the second confinement at the end of October but which remains below the national average (266 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in France).

The positivity rate of people presenting for screening also increased (6.7% against 6.2% a week earlier).

“We have a curve that changes quickly, too quickly, like at the national level.

In particular, there is a significant increase in the 18-30 age group.

An age when you feel less exposed, where social interactions are more numerous, ”notes Jean-Jacques Coiplet, regional director of the ARS.

Concern in Sarthe and Maine-et-Loire

If no department of Pays-de-la-Loire is classified as "enhanced vigilance", all are nevertheless concerned by this increase in the epidemic.

The situation is most worrying in Sarthe (224 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and in Maine-et-Loire (211).

Vendée (162) and Loire-Atlantique (164) show a slightly lower incidence rate.

“We are witnessing an acceleration that we feared but which is not surprising because the variants, which are more contagious, are now largely in the majority.

The challenge will now be to do everything possible to reduce the risks in order to go down a little and avoid the saturation of hospitals, ”explains Pierre Blaise, scientific director of the ARS.

Hospitals not yet saturated

For now, the number of hospitalizations for Covid-19 (838 people) is increasing only slightly in the region.

The number of patients in intensive care remains at 96. But these two figures are already much higher than those at the start of the second confinement at the end of October.

The ARS is also concerned by the discovery of a possible Breton variant in the Côtes d'Armor.

"It is likely that we will have in Pays-de-la-Loire given the proximity between the two regions," said Jean-Jacques Coiplet.

Fortunately, vaccination is starting to bear fruit, at least in the elderly.

"There is a very clear reduction in contaminations and deaths in nursing homes," assures the ARS.

To date, vaccination coverage has reached 40% among people over 75 years old and climbs to 90% among nursing home residents.

But it does not exceed 8% if we look at the entire population of Pays-de-la-Loire.

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