Key Points

Health indicators continue to deteriorate in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the epicenter of this second wave of the pandemic in France, at a time when it is still too early to observe the initial effects of the lockdown implemented on October 30.

In week 44 (October 26 to November 1), new infections continue to rise (>72,000 people tested positive), although this figure is not yet finalized. At the regional level, the incidence rate has reached at least 899 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the positivity rate stands at 29.2%.

The acceleration of the epidemic observed over the past several weeks and its spread across all age groups, including the elderly, is having an increasingly severe impact on public health. Pressure on the healthcare system is mounting, particularly in hospitals, which are currently treating twice as many COVID-19 patients as at the peak of the first wave. From October 28 to November 3, the hospitalization rate in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (49 per 100,000 inhabitants) was the highest in France. At the departmental level, the highest hospitalization rates were found in the Loire, Savoie, Haute-Loire, and Rhône departments.