Summary

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. Since then, thanks to the general lockdown measures, all epidemiological surveillance indicators—COVID-19 activity in the community (SOS Médecins associations and general practitioners participating in the Sentinelles network) and in emergency departments, laboratory testing activity 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. While viral circulation has declined significantly and pressure on the healthcare system has eased considerably, the virus is still present. In Week 26, surveillance indicators continued to decline.

What’s new in this Update for the region?

In week 27 of 2020 (June 29–July 5), testing activity increased compared to the previous week, with 32,913 RT-PCR tests performed, compared to just under 30,000 the previous week. The number of new biologically confirmed cases in week 27 of 2020 (149) and the corresponding incidence rate (2.7 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) are slightly lower than in week 26 of 2020, which saw 174 new cases and an incidence of 3.0 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. Although the regional weekly incidence has been lower than the national incidence (5.6 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) for the second consecutive week, the virus remains present in the region four and a half months after its emergence.

In week 27 of 2020, all departments in the region had a weekly incidence rate below the alert threshold of 10 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The weekly incidence rate is declining or stable in all departments, except in the Vosges and the Bas-Rhin. Although the Aube department recorded only one new case in week 27 of 2020, the Haute-Marne three, and the Meuse four, the virus is present in all departments. Viral circulation is slightly higher in Haut-Rhin (4.7 per 100,000 inhabitants), Vosges (3.9 per 100,000 inhabitants), and Meurthe-et-Moselle (3.8 per 100,000 inhabitants).

Covid-19 activity reported by the SOS Médecins associations in Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin is slightly higher than the previous week, while it is stable or declining elsewhere. The number of emergency room visits for suspected Covid-19 at the region’s healthcare facilities is down again (59 compared to 84). At the same time, the number of new hospitalizations and the number of new admissions to intensive care units remain stable compared to the previous week. At this stage, there are no signs of a resurgence of the epidemic, even though the virus has not disappeared.
While the trend remains favorable, 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 8, 2020, 64 clusters or outbreaks of grouped cases have been identified since May 11 (one more than the previous week), 31 of which are currently under investigation. No uncontrolled community spread (the emergence of new cases outside the cluster and linked to it) has been reported.