Key points
In week 48, the intense circulation of SARS-CoV-2 continued to accelerate in metropolitan France, with sharp rises in new hospital and intensive care admissions.
- Metropolitan France:
- Incidence rate higher than the peaks of the third and fourth waves
- Incidence rate above 600 cases per 100,000 inhabitants among 30-39 year-olds and 900 among 6-10 year-olds
- New hospital and intensive care admissions increasing in almost all regions
- Overseas France:
- Reunion Island: rising incidence rate and new hospital admissions
- Martinique: active circulation of the virus and increase in hospital admissions
Variants
- Delta variant identified in more than 99% of sequenced samples in the Flash Survey from week 46 (15-17 November)
- 59 confirmed cases of Omicron variant in France as of 4 pm on 9 December
- Moderate circulation of the B.1.640 variant across the country
Contact tracing
- Decrease in the proportion of cases being investigated (in week 47) due to the high incidence
- Fewer new cases linked to known transmission chains
Prevention
- Vaccination on 7 December 2021 (Vaccin Covid data):
- 77.7% of the French population had received at least one vaccine dose, and 76.1% were fully vaccinated
- 51.4% of people aged 65 years and older had received a booster shot, representing 76.4% of the eligible population in this age group
- Importance of combining measures: vaccine and booster shots, adherence to contact tracing, and respect of preventive measures, notably by reducing contacts and working from home
