Key Points

• The weekly incidence rate continues to rise and stood at 241 cases per 100,000 residents last week, an increase of 26% compared to the previous week. As of April 27, the effective reproduction number (R_eff) for confirmed cases was estimated at 1.14 [1.06–1.23], down from last week, reflecting once again a slight slowdown that remains, however, more pronounced in the Cayenne and Savanes regions. In the West, the number of cases nearly doubled in one week.

• The observed slowdown is likely partly due to the strengthening of containment measures that were implemented early in April as this third wave began. However, the increase continues and the trend has not been reversed: the incidence remains relatively high, allowing for a more sustained rise in infections, while the vaccination coverage rate is too low (3.3%) to protect the territory.

• At the same time, hospitalizations—including admissions to intensive care—are rising, primarily in the West, reflecting a 2- to 3-week lag in the onset of this third wave. At the CHC, the trend in new admissions has been stable for the past 2 to 3 weeks but remains at a relatively high level. As observed during previous waves, no significant decline in hospitalizations is expected until the peak in confirmed cases has been passed and the downward trend has begun in earnest.

• Four new deaths were also reported last week, bringing the total number of deaths since March 2020 to 100.