COVID-19โ Cases Rise โin alsace, But Doctors Report Mild Strain
Strasbourg, France – October 1, 2024 – COVID-19 cases areโ increasing across Alsace, mirroring a national trend observed in the latest โขSentinel โnetwork bulletin โคpublished September 24th. However, local physicians emphasize the current surge remains moderate and the โcirculating variant appears to be no more โvirulentโ thanโ previous strains.
Data from the Sentinel network indicates a continued rise in consultations for COVID-19 between Septemberโ 15th and โข21st, the โฃsecondโฃ consecutive โweekโค of โขincreases. Nationally, the impact rate is โคestimated atโข 49 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, keeping the overall activity level of the โSARS-CoV-2 virus within moderate bounds, โaccording to public health experts.
In Alsace, doctors confirm the uptick.โ “This โคis the moast active respiratory โvirus of the โmoment,” stated dr. Simรฉon Baetz, president of SOS Mรฉdecins deโข Strasbourg, whose intervention sector covers nearly half of the โฃBas-rhin territory. He noted the resurgenceโ began at the end of August, progressing โขslowly through September,โข and accelerating with the returnโค to school andโ increased indoor contactโค among children.”Butโ nothing catastrophic since the current strain is no more virulentโข than the previous ones. We have not hospitalized any patient at this stage,”โฃ Dr. Baetz โคadded.
Dr. Yannick Freymann,a general practitioner in Bischoffsheim (Bas-Rhin) and Sentinelโ networkโฃ member,also reports โฃa โค”recovery”โ of COVID-19 cases,currentlyโ seeing an average of two patients per day,compared โto โฃ6-10 during peakโข periods. He reminded thatโข fall and winter typically see a rise in acute respiratoryโ infections, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. โ
Asโค of the end of September,the incidence rate โคinโ the “Grand Est” region,which includes Alsace,was โขestimated at โ340 cases per 100,000 inhabitants – one of โthe highest regional rates in France. Despite this,Dr.โค Emmanuel Vilbois, a general practitioner in Morschwiller-les (Haut-Rhin) andโ affiliated with the โขUnprogrammed Care โคCenter โฃatโข Emile-Muller Hospital in Mulhouse, reassuredโ the public. “We are still โคunder the alert threshold and the new variant is not vreyโข virulent,” he said. Heโข also noted the prevalence of other respiratory illnesses, stating, “There โขare lots of ENT viroses that have been running as the start of theโฃ school year. Even if the COVIDs are slightly resurfaced, theseโข are largely โpreceded โคby gastroenteritis.”
The Sentinel network continues to monitor the situation,โ providing crucial data forโข public health officials as the region enters the typical โขrespiratory virus season.
