Summary

Situation in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

With the first confirmed case on February 26, 2020, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (BFC) was one of the first regions in France to face the COVID-19 pandemic. The major impact of this pandemic on the population—and in particular on the most vulnerable, including the elderly—shows geographic disparities that reflect the intensity of the virus’s spread prior to the implementation of general lockdown measures on March 17, 2020. In week 17 (April 20–26, 2020), the trend was downward for several indicators of healthcare utilization, both in outpatient settings and in hospitals. The region experienced a significant excess of all-cause mortality across all age groups for six weeks, from Week 12 (March 16–22, 2020) to Week 17 (April 20–26, 2020), with a peak in Week 14 (March 30–April 5).

Trends observed

In week 22 (May 25–31, 2020) and for the ninth consecutive week, the number of SOS Médecins calls and emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 remains low. The circulation of the virus in long-term care facilities (including nursing homes) in the region has been limited for the past month. Mortality in week 19 is comparable to that of previous years. At this stage of the epidemic, 1,015 deaths in hospitals have been recorded.

What are the public health implications for our region?

In the current phase of reopening, the key challenge to prevent a resurgence of the epidemic is to identify and isolate potentially infected individuals and their contacts in order to break transmission chains as early as possible. To this end, a major contact tracing system has been deployed. It is structured in three tiers that work together 24/7:

• Healthcare professionals (particularly private practitioners and laboratories) are on the front lines for managing cases and identifying the immediate circle of contacts.

• Local contact-tracing platforms, bringing together expertise from the Health Insurance Fund and the Regional Health Agency, are responsible for identifying and monitoring new cases and providing support (isolation and compliance with lockdown measures, sick leave, diagnosis, contact tracing, and follow-up of cases and their contacts).

• This system is supplemented by departmental and regional expert teams combining multidisciplinary expertise (Regional Health Agency, Public Health France, CPIA, National Education, etc.) essential for the early identification, characterization, and management of any situation involving clusters of cases or localized resurgence of the epidemic.

With the aim of controlling transmission chains, identified clusters of cases are investigated to prevent the emergence of a cluster. The continued low-level circulation of the virus throughout the region indicates that the epidemic could resurge if the recommended hygiene and social distancing measures are not strictly observed by the public. Daily reports also demonstrate the effectiveness of the surveillance and contact tracing
system in identifying these situations to better control them.

Three weeks after the lifting of lockdown measures, all indicators (both in urban areas and in healthcare and social care facilities) confirm that the epidemic has stabilized at a low level, with no currently detectable resurgence in the region. As personal and professional activities and travel gradually resume, adherence to preventive measures remains essential, both individually and collectively. Each of our fellow citizens can help protect those
around them by continuing to follow the preventive measures recommended in public health messages.