Covid-19: the decline slows in France before a probable 8th wave

Europe 1 with AFP 1:50 p.m., September 2, 2022

The decline of the seventh wave of Covid-19 continues in France but at an increasingly slower pace, according to the weekly report from Public Health France, which insists on vaccination and barrier gestures during this back-to-school period.

From August 22 to 28, “on the eve of the start of the school year, the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 continued to decrease for the seventh consecutive week in almost all regions”, writes the health agency.

With 181 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the incidence rate had not been so low since November 2021 and the arrival of the Omicron variant, she notes.

17,000 positive cases per day on average

But the number of positive cases has stagnated for two weeks above 17,000 per day (on average over seven days), against more than 130,000 at the peak reached in mid-July, according to daily data from Public Health France.

Another downside: a slight increase in the incidence rate among children under 10 years old.

For children, if we compare the situation to that of the same period of the previous year, "the level of incidence is twice lower", however noted during a press briefing Didier Che, director assistant to the directorate of infectious diseases of SPF, specifying that "screening is much lower, and therefore the rate of positivity much higher".

Hospital admissions also continue to decline, a trend that began about a month and a half ago, but the rate has been falling significantly for a few days.

In critical care, the decrease in new entries last week was also "less marked than in previous weeks (285, or -9% against -24%)", specified Public Health France.

"In the context of the still active circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and given the epidemic dynamics among the youngest and the resumption of many social activities linked to the end of the summer holidays", SPF insists on "respect combined measures": vaccination, isolation in the event of a positive test, mask in the presence of vulnerable people or crowding in closed spaces, etc.

"A vaccination campaign will resume in the fall"

Among the oldest, only 32.6% of 60-79 year olds and 46.2% of people aged 80 and over, as well as 50.8% of nursing home residents received a second booster dose of vaccination.

However, an eighth wave of the epidemic has been announced for several weeks by the health authorities.

"What we don't know is how big it will be", but "it will restart and there will be a vaccination campaign which will resume in the fall", the Minister of Health said last week. Francois Brown.