CORONAVIRUS. While the number of daily cases continues to increase in France, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, announced a strengthening of health measures throughout the territory. For its part, the WHO has warned of the long-term effects of this unprecedented health crisis.
Faced with the outbreak of new cases observed around the world, the World Health Organization met in an emergency on Friday July 31, six months after declaring the global emergency. “This pandemic is a health crisis such as we see only one per century and its effects will be felt for decades to come”, warned the Director General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In an attempt to stop the rebound of the Covid-19 epidemic, several countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom and France, have decided to strengthen their health restrictions.
The last weekly epidemiological update Public health France confirms the trend of recent weeks, the coronavirus is circulating more and more and the incidence rate explodes (+ 54%), especially among young people (20-30 years) over the past week (week 30). 7 departments are also in moderate vulnerability and 3 departments in high vulnerability. Here are the key points to remember before the data refresh on August 7:
- The coronavirus is spreading more and more in France. Several indicators increase between weeks 29 and 30: the number of new confirmed cases of Covid-19 (5,592 or + 54%), the test positivity rate (1.3% compared to 1.0%) and the incidence of cases (9.5 cases / 100,000 inhabitants in France and 8.6 cases / 100,000 inhabitants in metropolitan France. In W30, the increase in new positive cases remains much greater than the increase in the number of patients tested (+ 54% for positive cases and + 27% for patients tested compared to W29). In addition, Public Health France explains that among symptomatic people, the increase in the number of cases in W30 compared to W29 (+ 62%) is three times greater than the increase in the number of people tested (+ 19%). Finally, the number of cases has increased in all age groups but the increase is greater in 15-44 year olds indicates Public health France.
- The coronavirus is particularly active in seven departments, with an incidence rate greater than 10 cases per 100,000 inhabitants: Mayenne (143/100 000 h), Val-d’Oise (20.5), Nord (17.5), Paris (16.5) , Seine-Saint-Denis (16.2), Hauts-de-Seine (15.8), Haute-Savoie (15.3), Val-de-Marne (14.9), Ille-et-Vilaine (14 , 3), Essonne (14.3), Vosges (12.2), Yvelines (11.8), Haute-Garonne (11.4), Meurthe-et-Moselle (11.2), Bouches-du-Rhône (10.8), Gard (10.5), Rhône (10.4), Alpes-Maritimes (10.2) and Sarthe (10.1).
- The number of reproduction is also on the rise. The “effective R” (average number of people infected by a case) is between 1.35 and 1.42, Public Health France putting forward two estimates. They are in any case in progression compared to week 29 (R = 1.26) and “significantly greater than 1, which indicates that the epidemic is progressing”. The regional workforce R are “significant” in 5 regions: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grand Est and Ile-de-France.
- Clusters are on the rise. According to the point of Public Health France, the number of clusters exceeds the situation when the confinement is lifted in France. In total, 658 clusters were detected, a third are under investigation (28%) of which a third with “high criticality”. The extended family environment and public and private events are the type of community most represented with a clear increase in July, indicates SpF (+ 14.5%).
- Weekly death rates (per 100,000 inhabitants) continue to decrease or remain stable between weeks 29 and 30 in most regions, with the exception of Guyana and Pays-de-la-Loire where they decrease: 1.79 / 100,000 h in W30 vs 3, 58/100 000 h in S29 in Guyana and 0.11 / 100,000 h in S30 vs 0.21 / 100,000 h in S29 in Pays-de-la-Loire
Santé Publique France is paying close attention to an indicator that allows the evolution of Covid-19 in France to be monitored: the incidence rate. More solid than the test positivity rate which gives an overview at an instant T, this rate represents the number of new cases of coronavirus diagnosed by PCR test “which have occurred over the last 7 days for which the data are consolidated”, compared to the number of ‘inhabitants. The alert threshold has been set at 50 per 100,000 inhabitants. The weekly incidence reaches 9 cases / 100,000 inhabitants, according to the results of Tuesday, July 28. The map below shows the situation in all the French departments.
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11:44 – The mask soon mandatory in Nice?
Friday evening, the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, indicated on Twitter to have “asked the prefect to take an electoral decree from Monday midnight in certain streets of the city, making the wearing of the mask obligatory in the public space, for all” . The elected official said that “if necessary”, he himself will take a decree to “impose it on Monday”.
I asked the @ prefet06 to take a prefectural decree, from Monday midnight, in certain streets of the city, making the wearing of the mask obligatory in the public space, for all.⁰ If necessary I will take a municipal decree to impose it on this Monday. #Nice06
— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) July 31, 2020
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11:28 – Caregivers were 3.5 times more exposed to contamination
On the front line in the fight against the coronavirus, caregivers would have been 3.5 times more likely to be infected last April, estimates a new study published in the journal The Lancet. The researchers behind this study relied on data from an app, collected between March 24 and April 23. Out of every 100,000 caregivers using the app, the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 was 2,747, compared to 242 per 100,000 users in the general population.
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11:14 – Where are the clusters concentrated?
According to the Directorate General of Health, contacted by franceinfo, the outbreaks of coronavirus cases are rather “reported in accommodation around vacation spots [comme des] camp [ou des] temporary accommodation. “” We have not had any reports of clusters linked to beaches “, specifies the DGS.
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11:00 – Reinforcement of controls at airports
Faced with the “clear increase” in cases of coronavirus, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, announced a strengthening of controls at airports as of this Saturday. Travelers coming to France from 16 countries “where the viral circulation is particularly strong”, including the United States, Brazil and Algeria, will have to present a test proving that they are not carriers of the virus.
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10:49 – Tourism, a factor in the spread of the virus?
In its latest situation updates, the Ministry of Health insisted on the importance of respecting barrier gestures during this summer period, which is synonymous with going on vacation. However, there would be “a weak correlation between tourism and the spread of the virus”, assures the Brittany Regional Health Agency, contacted by franceinfo. “Of the 75 new cases recorded since July 27, 18 people do not reside in Brittany,” said the agency.
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The latest daily assessment of the coronavirus epidemic was communicated on Friday July 31 by the Ministry of Health. While the number of new cases diagnosed is increasing, those of hospitalizations and patients in intensive care are decreasing. Here are the latest numbers:
- 187,919 cases confirmed by PCR, i.e. 1,346 more
- 30,265 deaths in total
- 19,750 deaths in hospital, or 11 more
- 10,515 deaths in nursing homes (results of July 28)
- 5,298 hospitalizations in progress, or 77 fewer
- 371 people in intensive care, i.e. 10 more
- Test positivity rate: 1.5%
- 157 clusters under investigation, i.e. 20 more
- 10 departments in vulnerable situations: North, Val-d’Oise, Ille-et-Vilaine, Mayenne, Vosges, Haute-Savoie, Haute-Garonne, Gironde, Guyane, Mayotte
NB: the data relating to people hospitalized and in intensive care presented above correspond to the number of patients undergoing care and not to the total since the start of the epidemic.
While the renewed activity of the coronavirus in France is worrying, the question of the arrival of a second epidemiological wave, whether it affects the entire territory or only a few areas, is increasingly being asked. And with it, fears of further restrictions on freedom of movement. To stop the spread of the virus, the government does not rule out partial containment and the closure of certain bars. In mid-July, Prime Minister Jean Castex raised the idea of new binding measures, but he insisted on the government’s desire to limit the consequences of such a health measure. “What must be avoided above all is general reconfinement” which would be “catastrophic” from an economic and social point of view. In the event of reconfinement, it would be a question of establishing “very localized reconfigurations”, that is to say by cities or delimited zones. “We will adapt”, assured Jean Castex, in a meeting published by Nice Matin. “Even if the number of cases is on the rise again, positive tests remain in low averages compared to the countries around us. And hospitalizations remain at a controlled level. (…) The priority is still and always prevention, ”he added.
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