Key Points

• Last week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases decreased: an average of 90 cases were confirmed each day. The incidence rate fell from 280 to 216 cases per 100,000 residents, and the positivity rate dropped from 10.4% to 8.4%. The testing rate remained stable at a high level. This trend is observed throughout the country.

• Furthermore, new hospitalizations are stable, but admissions to intensive care continue to rise, with 10 new admissions last week compared to 6 the previous week. No new deaths occurred this week. As of January 26, the effective reproduction number (R_eff) for confirmed cases was estimated at 0.82 [0.76–0.89], down from last week.

• These data suggest that the epidemic peak was reached in week 1 and passed in week 3.

• Admissions to intensive care, however, continue to rise, as the impact on care occurs with a lag of several weeks relative to the increase in confirmed cases.

• These trends call for maintaining a high level of vigilance to prevent a resurgence of the epidemic, as the incidence rate remains relatively high, and to limit the occurrence of severe cases.

• As of January 26, 749 people had been vaccinated in French Guiana: nearly one in two vaccines (45%) was administered to a person over the age of 75. Residents of long-term care facilities, healthcare workers over 75, and healthcare professionals over 50 or those with comorbidities constitute the top priority group.

• Genomic surveillance of COVID-19 variants has been established in French Guiana: a sample of 11 specimens was sequenced by the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Among them, none of the variants—including the British (VOC B.1.1.7), South African (B.1.351), and Brazilian (B.1.1.28, P.1) variants—were detected. An additional 37 samples are currently being sequenced.