Key Points

What is currently known about the situation in the Grand Est region?

The Grand Est region recorded its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in week 9 of 2020 (February 24–March 1), and the peak of the outbreak occurred in week 13 of 2020 (March 23–29), with 4,116 emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 (six times the activity typically seen for influenza and flu-like illness during the peak week of a typical flu season) and 1,494 consultations at the region’s five SOS Médecins clinics. The number of hospital admissions for COVID-19 peaked in week 14 of 2020 (March 30–April 5) with 3,777 new hospitalizations, including 648 in intensive care (compared to a capacity of 471 ICU beds under normal conditions). That week, the region also recorded a record-high excess mortality across all medical causes, with a 116% increase in excess mortality compared to the same period in previous years. General lockdown measures helped drive down all epidemiological surveillance indicators: COVID-19 activity in urban areas (SOS Médecins associations and general practitioners participating in the Sentinelles network) and in emergency departments; testing activity in private and hospital clinical laboratories; hospitalizations; admissions to intensive care units for COVID-19; and COVID-19-related deaths reported by healthcare facilities. After several weeks characterized by very low viral circulation, the rise in surveillance indicators, which began in week 29, continues into week 32.

What’s new in this Update for the region?

In week 32 of 2020 (August 3–9), testing activity remained steady but decreased slightly compared to the previous week, with 43,486 RT-PCR tests performed. The number of new biologically confirmed cases (542, of whom 57% were aged 15–44) and the incidence rate (9.8 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) in week 32 of 2020 are higher than in week 31 of 2020 (444 new cases with an incidence of 8.1 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants). The regional weekly incidence remains below the alert threshold (10 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and
significantly lower than the incidence observed at the national level (17.4 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants).

Between weeks 31 and 32 of 2020, the number of new cases increased by 22%, and the positivity rate rose above the 1% threshold (1.4%). In week 32 of 2020, the incidence rate rose in eight departments in the region: the Ardennes (3 per 100,000 inhabitants), Aube (8.1 per 100,000 inhabitants), Marne (8 per 100,000 inhabitants), Haute-Marne (6.5 per 100,000 inhabitants), Meurthe-et-Moselle (20.5 per 100,000 inhabitants), Meuse (3.3 per 100,000 inhabitants), Moselle (12.5 per 100,000 inhabitants), and Bas-Rhin (7.3 per 100,000 inhabitants). Conversely, it is declining in Haut-Rhin (9.4 per 100,000 inhabitants) and in Vosges (3.6), for the second consecutive week. Meurthe-et-Moselle (20.5 per 100,000 inhabitants) and Moselle (12.5 per 100,000 inhabitants) have incidence rates above the alert threshold set at 10 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, marking the third consecutive week for Meurthe-et-Moselle. Meanwhile, Haut-Rhin has an incidence rate close to the alert threshold (9.4 per 100,000 inhabitants).

The unfavorable trend observed across the region serves as a reminder that vigilance and adherence, by everyone and in all circumstances, to preventive measures and social distancing remain more essential than ever to prevent a resurgence of the epidemic. The rate of in-person and telemedicine consultations for acute respiratory infections (ARI) reported by the Sentinelles network has decreased (10 per 100,000 inhabitants in week 32 of 2020, compared to 32 per 100,000 inhabitants in week 31 of 2020). Similarly, the number of consultations for suspected COVID-19 at the region’s five SOS Médecins associations has decreased slightly (130 compared to 158 the previous week). The number of emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 at the region’s healthcare facilities remains stable (92 visits compared to 91). In week 32 of 2020, the number of new hospitalizations decreased compared to the previous week (-13.3%). The number of new admissions to intensive care units remained stable compared to the previous week.

As of August 12, 88 clusters or clusters of cases have been identified in the region since May 11 (6 more than the previous week), 20 of which are currently under investigation. No uncontrolled community spread (occurrence of new cases outside the cluster and linked to it) has been reported.