COVID-19: epidemiological update. Weekly report. Week 16. 26 April 2023.

Publié le 27 avril 2023
Mis à jour le 27 avril 2023

Points clés

In week 16, the positivity rate (based on SI-DEP virological data) was decreasing in a context of very low screening rates. Emergency department visits were down, as were new hospital admissions. The number of deaths was slightly up for the third week in a row.

  • Metropolitan France:
    • Incidence rate in decline
    • Positivity rate falling in most age groups and regions
    • Hospital admission rate decreasing in majority of regions
  • Overseas France:
    • Incidence rate increasing or stable
    • New hospital admissions still very low

Variants

  • The recombinant XBB.1.5 maintained a stable majority with 58% of sequences in the week 14 Flash Survey (vs 56% in week 13)
  • The BQ.1 sub-lineage continued to decrease (4% in the week 14 Flash Survey vs 6% in week 13)

Prevention

  • Vaccination on 25 April 2023 (Vaccin Covid data):
    • 23.6% of 60-79 year-olds and 26.4% of 80+ year-olds had received a booster dose adapted to the Omicron variant
    • 21.8% of 60-79 year-olds had received a dose of vaccine in the last 6 months and 3.1% of 80+ year-olds in the last 3 months
  • Given that SARS-CoV-2 remains in active circulation, continued compliance with preventive measures is recommended:
    • up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination, including a booster dose of bivalent vaccine (protecting against the original strain and the Omicron variant) for eligible individuals already vaccinated with a primary series; 
    • continued application of precautionary measures, particularly in case of a positive test and/or symptoms, to protect vulnerable individuals.