COVID-19: Epidemiological Update for May 17, 2023

Published on 17 May 2023

Key Points

In Week 19, indicators based on SI-DEP virological data continued to decline amid very low testing rates. Emergency room visits were down, as were new hospitalizations.

Mainland France:
- Incidence* and positivity rates declining in most age groups and across all regions
- Rate of new hospitalizations decreasing
Overseas territories:
- Highest incidence and positivity* rates in Réunion
- New hospitalizations remained at a low level

Variants

The XBB.1.5 recombinant is the dominant variant, showing a downward trend with 44% of sequences in the Flash S17** survey (vs. 53% for Flash S16)
XBB.1.9 on the rise (36% in Flash S17** vs. 32% in Flash S16)
The CH.1.1 and BQ.1 sublineages detected at low levels (1% and 3% for Flash S17**)

Prevention

Vaccination as of May 15, 2023 (Covid Vaccine data):
- 23.8% of those aged 60–79 and 26.7% of those aged 80 and older had received a booster tailored to the Omicron variant
- 19.1% of those aged 60–79 and 1.7% of those aged 80 and older had received a dose administered less than 6 and 3 months ago, respectively
Given the current state of the pandemic and the spring vaccination campaign, it remains recommended to continue adhering to the following combined measures:
- up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination, including a booster dose with a bivalent vaccine (against the original strain and the Omicron variant) for those eligible who have received their primary series;
- continued adherence to preventive measures, particularly in the event of a positive test result and/or symptoms, to protect vulnerable individuals.

*A correction has been applied to the incidence and testing rates for the week including the May 8 holiday to account for its impact on testing activity.

**Data from the Flash S17 survey are not consolidated and should be interpreted with caution.