While the symbolic threshold of 30,000 deaths due to Covid-19 has just been exceeded in France, signals are multiplying showing a slight recovery in the number of people infected with the coronavirus. Yes “The viral circulation remains weak, the virus shows tremors”, warns epidemiologist Daniel Lévy-Bruhl, head of the respiratory infections unit at Public Health France (SPF). In his latest weekly epidemiological bulletin, whose data are reported until July 7, the health agency noted a “New trend in increasing circulation of SARS-CoV-2 virus”. “We are concerned, the risk is that this increase will continue”, warns Daniel Lévy-Bruhl.
“Consultations for suspected Covid-19 have been increasing for the past ten days”, specifies Serge Smadja, secretary general of SOS-Doctors France, a network of 1,300 practitioners. They increased by 41% in the week from June 29 to July 5, or 1,523 in the week (about 220 per day). And Doctor Smadja mentions “360 consultations for Covid” Friday July 10. For comparison, there were 2,500 a day in this network at the peak of the epidemic. On the other hand, the number of hospitalizations remains stable.
Small local outbreaks
Concerning fact, in addition to Guyana and Mayotte, where the situation is very worrying, “We cannot say today that all the sources of contamination have been brought under control in mainland France”, notes Daniel Lévy-Bruhl. Across the country, 333 clusters (excluding nursing homes and restricted family environment) were reported on July 8, this since May 9, reports SPF, of which 68 clusters were still under investigation on Sunday July 12. In mainland France, two clusters are in community dissemination – this means that people tested positive have no direct link with the first cases – one in Normandy and one in Mayenne (Pays de la Loire), with more than 200 people diagnosed positive in this department. “The risk is that it will happen elsewhere, the fear being that small local outbreaks will no longer be controlled”, warns Daniel Lévy-Bruhl.
In Ile-de-France, “The curves are very low, but they are moving. Even if it is not a massive recovery, the level of risk has increased ”, notes Aurélien Rousseau, director of the regional health agency (ARS), whose obsession is not to miss a cluster, in a region with 30 active workers.
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