In the Ile-de-France departments, particularly in Seine-Saint-Denis, pre-existing disparities have served as breeding ground for the expansion of the coronavirus epidemic, generating an exponential excess mortality. This is what a study published on Monday by the Ile-de-France Regional Health Observatory reveals.
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"During the month of March 2020 and during the first days of April, Seine-Saint-Denis experienced the strongest evolution of mortality in Ile-de-France in number of deaths", compared to the same period the previous year, ie "+ 118.4% between March 1 and April 10", underlines this study which is based on data from INSEE. The northern part of this department of 1.6 million inhabitants, the poorest in metropolitan France, is particularly affected, she points out.
"Vulnerable populations"
But the excess mortality is also marked in the other dense departments of the metropolis of Grand Paris: + 101.5% in Hauts-de-Seine, + 94.1% in Val-de-Marne and + 92.6% in Paris. The increase is less strong in the outer suburbs, except for Val-d'Oise, which stands out with an excess mortality of around 90.1%, according to the results of the study.
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"The most socially vulnerable populations are those who live in large collective complexes, with common areas frequented, more young children (…) and areas per square meter which are smaller" than elsewhere, explains AFP Isabelle Grémy, director of the Regional Health Observatory (ORS).
The impossibility of telework
The study shows in particular that "more than 570,000 people live in a household with less than one room per person in Seine-Saint-Denis", which makes barrier gestures more difficult to respect.
The epidemic has also spread with the many "key workers", up to 12% of workers in the 93, according to this study. Without the possibility of teleworking, they had to continue their activity despite the risk of contamination, especially in public transport. Finally, the health of the inhabitants of the working-class districts of the Ile-de-France, more often prone to obesity and diabetes, highlights the handicap with which some people are facing the health crisis.