Summary

What is currently known about the situation in the region?

The region detected its first cases of local transmission in the Oise department three months ago. The peak in case numbers was recorded in late March, followed by a steady decline, both in the region and nationwide, after the lockdown was implemented. The pandemic’s peak impact on healthcare capacity was recorded in late March–early April in the region, followed by a slow and steady return to normal. Since early May (week 19), trends in surveillance indicators show that the epidemic has stabilized at a low level, though the virus continues to circulate in the community.

What’s new in this Update for the region?

We are entering a new phase of surveillance and management of the epidemic, whose three pillars are the surveillance and rapid identification of situations at risk of a resurgence, the early diagnosis and management of new cases and high-risk situations, and the scaling up and deployment of diagnostic capabilities (tests and serology).

Changes to surveillance procedures are the subject of two new chapters in this week’s bulletin.

The first (pages 5–6) concerns virological surveillance via the SI-DEP information system (screening information system), to which most hospital and private laboratories are now connected. From now on, SI-DEP will be used to monitor diagnostic capacity, test positivity rates, and the incidence of new cases.

The other (pages 7–8) presents the initial results of surveillance of transmission clusters or episodes of grouped cases (“clusters”), excluding nursing homes and medical-social facilities, which may constitute situations posing a risk of community spread of the virus and a resurgence of the epidemic. These clusters are identified through contact tracing around confirmed cases.
They are subject to an assessment of their level of criticality, which varies depending on the circumstances and the size of the cluster. Their detection and the early implementation of control measures (testing and isolation of contacts) should make it possible to control their progression.

What are the public health implications for the region?

Two weeks after the lifting of lockdown measures, all indicators (both in urban areas and in healthcare and social care facilities) confirm that the epidemic has stabilized at a low level, with no currently perceptible resurgence in the region.

With the gradual resumption of personal and professional activities and travel, adherence to preventive measures and social distancing remains essential, both individually and collectively.

Santé publique France remains committed to serving the public, working alongside the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) and local stakeholders (healthcare professionals, healthcare facilities, the National Health Insurance, government agencies, local authorities, and associations) to provide the relevant regional authorities and the Ministry of Health with the information needed to manage and control the epidemic.

To this end, everyone’s cooperation and collaboration are essential, and we thank you once again.