Key points

In week 44, the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 accelerated in metropolitan France, with a sharp rise in the incidence rate.

• Metropolitan France:

  • Incidence rate* rising in all age groups

  • Incidence rate* increasing in all regions and exceeding 100 cases per 100,000 habitants in 21 departments

  • R number >1 and rising, leading to the accelerated growth of the epidemic

  • New hospital and intensive care admissions increasing or stable in the majority of regions

• Overseas France:

  • Reunion Island: high incidence rate* with a sharp increase

Variants

• Delta variant identified in 100% of sequenced samples in Flash Surveys on 12 and 19 October 2021

Contact tracing

• Among cases, longer delay between first clinical signs and laboratory diagnosis for the last several weeks

• Lower proportion of people aged 65 years and older among cases and contacts

Prevention

• Vaccination on 9 November 2021 (Vaccin Covid data):

  • 76.6% of the French population had received at least one vaccine dose, and 75.0% were fully vaccinated

  • 24.2% of people aged 65 years and older had received a booster dose

• Importance of combining measures: vaccination, including the booster shot for the population over 65 years, adherence to contact tracing, and respect of preventive measures