Summary

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

The first confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recorded in week 09-2020 (February 24–March 1), and the peak of the outbreak occurred in week 13-2020 (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 units (compared to 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. Since then, thanks to the general lockdown measures, 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, positive test rates in private and hospital medical laboratories, hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care units for COVID-19, and COVID-19-related deaths reported by healthcare facilities—have been trending downward. Subsequently, after three weeks of stagnation in the number of emergency department visits for suspected Covid-19, along with a slight increase in Covid-19 activity reported by the SOS Médecins associations, and the identification of several clusters of cases, epidemiological surveillance indicators were once again trending downward in week 22 of 2020. All indicators continued to trend downward in weeks 24 and 25 of 2020.

What’s new in this Update for the region?

In week 26 of 2020 (June 22–28), testing activity remained high and stable compared to the previous week, with 28,300 RT-PCR tests performed. The number of new biologically confirmed cases (170) and the incidence rate (3.0 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) are significantly lower compared to week 25 of 2020, which saw 295 new cases and an incidence of 5.9 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. For the first time, the regional weekly incidence is lower than the national incidence (5.6 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants), but the virus is still present in the region 18 weeks after its emergence.
In week 26 of 2020, all departments in the region have a weekly incidence rate below the alert threshold of 10 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, including Meurthe-et-Moselle and Meuse, which exceeded this threshold from week 23-2020 to week 25-2020, primarily due to high testing activity. The weekly incidence rate is declining or stable in all departments. The department of Aube recorded only one new case in week 26 of 2020, Haute-Marne four, and Marne five. Viral circulation remains at a slightly higher level in Haut-Rhin and Meurthe-et-Moselle.
Covid-19 activity among the region’s five SOS Médecins associations is stable compared to the previous week. The number of emergency room visits for suspected Covid-19 at the region’s healthcare facilities continues to decline (85 compared to 163). At the same time, the number of new hospitalizations (n=71) and the number of new admissions to intensive care units (n=5) has decreased compared to the previous week (n=122 and n=14, respectively). No signs of a resurgence of the epidemic have been observed at this stage.
While the trend remains favorable, the virus has not disappeared from the region. Vigilance and strict adherence by everyone, under all circumstances, to preventive measures and social distancing remain absolutely essential to prevent any resurgence of the epidemic in the coming weeks.
As of July 1, 2020, 61 clusters or episodes of grouped cases have been identified since May 11 (one more than the previous week), of which 34 are currently under investigation. No uncontrolled community spread (the emergence of new cases outside the cluster and linked to it) has been reported.