Summary

June 4 marks the fourth week since the end of lockdown and the first week of a broader reopening of economic and recreational activities. Brittany remains largely unaffected by the epidemic at this time. Today, all selected indicators continue to show low circulation of the virus in Brittany.
However, a few cases of COVID-19 are still identified daily by laboratories in the region, confirming that the virus is still circulating. This ongoing detection also reflects a significant improvement in testing capacity, making it possible to test specific communities, such as nursing homes, as well as symptomatic individuals and their contacts.
Since the lifting of lockdown measures, data from public and private testing laboratories has been centralized within a national platform. This new system allows for the real-time collection of the number of patients tested and the number of SARS-CoV-2 positive tests, thereby enabling the monitoring of changes in the positivity rate (an indicator of viral circulation) and the incidence of the disease. Its capacity has been gradually ramped up over the past month, but we have now reached near-complete coverage of laboratory reports in Brittany. These data are essential for monitoring tested individuals and their at-risk contacts, in order to limit or even stop transmission.

Identification of isolated cases and clusters

As of June 4, Brittany had identified 4 clusters that emerged since the end of lockdown. Their widespread and targeted screening is clearly visible in Figure 2 on page 3, with a peak observed on May 17. Nevertheless, epidemiological analysis of the situation suggests these clusters likely emerged before lockdown was lifted, circulating diffusely among staff at these facilities. The challenge today, in the post-lockdown phase, is to contain these transmission chains linked to contact with cases returning to their activities with the same effectiveness as was achieved during the lockdown period. Today, the situation in these various facilities remains under close surveillance, but analysis of available health data suggests that the virus has not spread within the general population.
Controlling these situations is crucial for the Brittany region, given the low proportion of people who have already contracted the virus and thus a potential for spread that is virtually at the same level as before the lockdown phase.

Active surveillance for daily assessment of the epidemiological situation

The epidemiological situation is closely monitored by all healthcare stakeholders in the region (SOS Médecins associations, public and private healthcare facilities, laboratories, etc.), as well as the multiple surveillance systems that have been established with their cooperation.
Every day, a contextual analysis of the potential vulnerability of regions, based on data from these systems, is conducted. This provides health authorities with a daily epidemiological assessment of the regional situation to track the evolution of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The Regional Health Agency in Brittany issues daily updates to prevent, inform, and support healthcare providers and the public (ARS Brittany website). This Weekly Epidemiological Report compiles all available indicators for monitoring the COVID-19 epidemic in Brittany.