Twice as many people tested and 12 times as many cases since July

The epidemic is growing exponentially in France, and this growth cannot be explained by increased testing. In fact, since July, testing has more than doubled, while the number of COVID-19 cases has increased twelvefold.

The impact on the healthcare system remains moderate to date, but has been steadily increasing over the past 6 weeks. Visits to emergency departments for suspected COVID-19 increased by 10% between weeks 35 and 34 (2,816 and 2,556 visits). The same trend is observed for the rate of intensive care admissions, which increased by 21% between weeks 35 and 34 (210 and 174 admissions).

“Viral circulation is active in mainland France, particularly among young adults. This situation is concerning, and all efforts must be focused on preventing a rise in hospitalizations and deaths. Everyone must strictly adhere to preventive measures (hand hygiene, physical distancing, greeting without shaking hands, avoiding hugs, coughing into one’s elbow, and wearing a mask), and the ‘Test-Trace-Isolate’ strategy—which involves identifying new cases and their contacts and isolating them as soon as possible to break transmission chains—must be strengthened,” says Sophie Vaux, an epidemiologist at Santé publique France.

Significant circulation of the virus among young people

The epidemic is present throughout the country and affects the entire population. Today, it is targeting young adults (ages 15–44) more heavily, particularly those aged 15–24, among whom the increase is significant. From the beginning of July (Week 28) through Week 35, hospitalized individuals under the age of 40 accounted for 19% (2,128/10,998) of admissions, whereas this proportion was 8% (8,328/100,827) during the March–June 2020 period.

Wearing masks has now become widespread among the French population, but certain preventive measures are adopted less consistently. Among young people aged 18–24, there has been a decline in the consistent practice of physical distancing. At the end of August, according to the results of CoviPrev’s 14th wave (August 24–26), 39% of them reported consistently maintaining a distance of at least one meter from others, compared to 62% of people aged 65 and older.

It is important to remember that protecting yourself also means protecting others.