Key Points

• After four consecutive weeks of increases, the fourth wave appears to have peaked at the beginning of the month, with a 9% decline in new cases in week 35. The incidence rate thus fell to 419 per 100,000 inhabitants in week 35.

• This decline is due to a decrease in cases on the island of Cayenne as well as in the Savanes region. However, the upward trend continues in the Western Coast, where the wave arrived later.

• The number of tests has also decreased, however, and the positivity rate has risen slightly.

• The effective R (0.93) was below 1 for the first time in five weeks, also reflecting the observed slowdown.

• Since the start of the week, the decline in cases has continued (with 620 new cases recorded compared to 714 last week at the same time), but vigilance is required as schools reopen.

• Regarding hospitalizations across all departments as well as admissions to intensive care, the trend remains stable at the regional level.

• As of September 9, 2021, and since the start of the fourth wave, 30 deaths have been recorded (for a total of 225 deaths since March 4, 2020).

• Among people aged 50 and older in French Guiana, 1 in 3 is vaccinated. In the general population, vaccination coverage for a full course stands at 21.1% (versus 20.3% last week), reflecting the slow progress of vaccination.

• Against the backdrop of a fourth wave affecting areas where the majority of French Guiana’s population resides, and given the low vaccination coverage, it is important to maintain strict preventive measures (wearing masks, handwashing, physical distancing) at a high level to protect the most vulnerable and to accelerate the decline of the epidemic.