The pandemic

In this section, you will find information on Santé publique France’s response since the virus first emerged, the progression of the epidemic between 2020 and 2023, surveys conducted among the general public and healthcare professionals, the results of our work, and the prevention tools we have implemented…

The COVID-19 Pandemic in France from 2020 to 2023

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. The first detection of this virus was reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019, following an outbreak of viral pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan, China. Its spread in France has been marked by a series of waves, some of which have been linked to the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2.

To learn everything about the course of the pandemic between 2020 and 2023:

  • the special report on the health crisis

  • InfoCovidFrance, the Santé publique France dashboard updated daily during this period with key indicators for tracking the COVID-19 pandemic: confirmed cases, deaths, positivity rate, new hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care, fully vaccinated individuals, identified contacts… as well as key indicators of the agency’s response to the health crisis: vaccine doses distributed, mobilized reserves…;

  • all press releases and educational materials dedicated to the health crisis;

  • all national and regional epidemiological updates produced during the pandemic.

Since the emergence of COVID-19 in France in January 2020, all staff at Santé publique France have been fully engaged. It is particularly in the management of this health crisis that the complementary nature of Santé publique France’s various functions has come to the fore, as they are inherently and practically focused on threat analysis and response planning.

In this global health crisis, our role has been to:

  • implementing the most appropriate surveillance systems,

  • identify and measure the public health impact of COVID-19,

  • estimating uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, vaccination coverage, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, and the impact of these treatments in terms of the number of cases prevented,

  • developing information and prevention tools for healthcare professionals, the general public, and the most vulnerable populations,

  • coordinate the Health Reserve to meet the needs of healthcare professionals throughout the country,

  • mobilize the Pharmaceutical Agency in the service of public health through the procurement, storage, and distribution of essential pharmaceutical materials and products for the fight against the pandemic.

This organization has adapted as the situation has evolved. As knowledge about the characteristics of COVID-19 has evolved rapidly, our efforts have been carried out in full coordination with French authorities (Ministry of Solidarity and Health, Regional Health Agencies, etc.) and international bodies (World Health Organization, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control).

Because our work is first and foremost in the service of the public, our goal has been to provide continuous and fully transparent information as quickly as possible. The indicators produced to guide public decision-making and track the evolution of the COVID-19 epidemic have been available since May 2020 via the Géodes mapping observatory, published weekly between March 4, 2020, and May 24, 2023, in national and regional epidemiological bulletins, and until June 2023 on the InfoCovidFrance dashboard.