Key points

In week 20, the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 continued to decline, and hospital admissions fell nationwide. However, virological indicators remained very high in Martinique and Guadeloupe.

• Metropolitan France:

  • Continued decrease in virological indicators throughout the country

  • Hospital admission rate down across all regions, stable in Corsica

• Overseas France:

  • Virological indicators remain very high and are rising slightly in Martinique

  • Incidence rate remains high in Guadeloupe despite a slight decline

Variants

• The Omicron BA.2 sublineage is dominant: accounting for 97.4% of interpretable sequences in the Week 19 Flash Survey (May 9)

• An increase in BA.4 and BA.5 has been detected in the latest Flash Surveys, but levels remain low at this stage

Prevention

• Vaccination as of May 23, 2022 (COVID-19 vaccine data):

  • Vaccination coverage for the booster shot reached 74.2% among adults over 18 years of age (84.1% in the 65+ age group).

  • Only 34.1% of those aged 60–79 and 26.9% of those aged 80 and older eligible for the second booster shot have actually received it.

• The ongoing circulation of SARS-CoV-2 requires appropriate preventive measures, particularly to protect the most vulnerable, hence the importance of continuing the following:

  • self-isolating if symptoms develop or a COVID-19 test comes back positive;

  • taking individual precautions such as wearing a mask (around high-risk individuals and in crowded indoor spaces or large gatherings), handwashing, and frequently ventilating enclosed spaces.