Key points

In week 8, the epidemic situation continued to improve, all virological and hospital indicators were decreasing but remained at a high levels.

• Metropolitan France:

  • Incidence and positivity rates declining in all age groups and all regions

  • New hospital admissions lower in all regions

  Overseas France:

  • Decrease in incidence and hospital admission rates but indicators still high in Reunion Island

Contact tracing

• Decrease in the number of contact cases (-29%) and contacts at risk (-24%)

• Number of contacts reported per case stable at a low level (on average 1.0 contact person per case called)

Variants

• Omicron accounted for 99.6% of interpretable sequences in the Flash Survey of 14 February for week 7

• BA.2 sub-lineage increasing (25% in week 7, 15.4% in week 6)

Prevention

• CoviPrev Survey (wave 32, 7–14 February 2022)

  • Stabilisation of reported adherence to the booster shot

  • Mental health remains deteriorated: 70% of respondents reported sleep problems

• Vaccination on 1 March 2022 (Vaccin Covid data):

  • 79.3% of the French population had completed a primary vaccination series

  • 72.5% of the 18+ age group (representing 82.5% of those eligible) and 82.7% of the 65+ age group (90.9% of those eligible) had received a booster shot

• Importance of combining measures:

  • Complete vaccination series with a booster at 3 months

  • Compliance with preventive measures including wearing a mask and reducing contacts, along with other precautionary recommendations such as frequent ventilation of enclosed spaces, working from home and adherence to contact tracing