Key points

In week 24, circulation of SARS-CoV-2 continued to progress throughout metropolitan France, with an increase in new hospital admissions, while vaccination coverage for booster shots remains notably insufficient.

• Metropolitan France:

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

  • Hospital admission rate rising, particularly among people aged 80 and over

• Overseas France:

  • Virological indicators still at very high levels but decreasing in Martinique

  • Continued increase in the incidence rate in French Guiana

Variants

• Omicron BA.2 sub-lineage: 51% of interpretable sequences in the week 23 Flash Survey of 7 June 2022

• Progressive replacement of BA.2 by BA.5 with a strong increase in detection (41%)

• Increased presence of the mutation at position L452 in screening (64% in week 24 vs 47% in week 23), linked to the increase of certain Omicron sub-lineages including BA.4 and BA.5

Prevention

• Vaccination on 20 June 2022 (Vaccin Covid data):

  • Vaccination coverage for the booster shot at 74.5% in the population aged 18+ years and 84.4% in the 65+ age group

  • Only 26.5% of 60-79 year-olds and 30.1% of 80+ year-olds eligible for the second booster shot had received it

  • Vaccination effort for the booster shot should be accelerated among eligible people

• Nosocomial transmission of COVID-19: high vigilance should be maintained regarding early identification of cases and strict compliance with protective measures in healthcare facilities

• In the context of increased circulation of SARS-CoV-2, compliance with the combined measures is essential, especially to protect the most vulnerable populations:

  • Self-isolation still necessary in case of symptoms and a positive test for COVID-19

  • Individual precautions against infection are essential, including wearing a mask (especially around vulnerable people and in contexts favourable to transmission such as closed spaces and large gatherings), hand washing and frequent ventilation of enclosed areas