Situation update

In week 32, the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 remained intense across the country with a moderate increase in the incidence rate and hospital indicators in metropolitan France. By contrast, the situation was very critical in Martinique and Guadeloupe, with an extremely high incidence rate, saturated hospital capacity, and high excess mortality. At the national level, the implementation of the health pass was accompanied by a sharp increase in the screening rate, which contributed to the slight increase in the incidence rate. The incidence rate remained the highest among 10-39 year-olds. The number of contacts reported by cases continued to decrease, suggesting the less exhaustive identification of contact persons. As of 17 August, 69.5% of the French population had received at least one vaccine dose, and 59.3% were fully vaccinated. In this context, the vaccination of all eligible people should continue to be highly encouraged. Vaccination should be combined with a high level of adherence to other preventive measures, notably by respecting protective measures, limiting contacts at risk, and self-isolating in the case of symptoms, confirmed infection, or contact with a confirmed case. The acceleration of the vaccination campaign combined with these different actions to limit the transmission rate may have a major impact on hospital dynamics.