Key Points

• The number of new confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the weekly incidence rate (IR) continued to rise in the region, with more than 6,000 new cases detected (IR of 105.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). The positivity rate is stable compared to the previous week and remains above the alert threshold (5%).

• Indicators of an epidemic resurgence have reached very high levels, exceeding alert thresholds in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments, and continue to rise at a slower pace in the three departments of the former Picardy region.

• The resurgence of the epidemic affects all age groups but particularly young adults aged 15 to 29, among whom the incidence rate continues to rise rapidly and who account for more than one-third of the new cases recorded in the region (incidence rate of 213 cases per 105 inhabitants) in week 37.

• While the impact of the resurgence remains moderate for now on regional healthcare capacity in outpatient and inpatient settings, the significant increase in new hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care, as well as the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities (ESMS) and residential care facilities for the elderly (Ehpa), indicate an increased risk associated with the intensified circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in the region. The trend in these indicators calls for the utmost vigilance and the strengthening of measures to prevent transmission.

• The recent decline in parameters estimated from virological data does not reflect an improvement in the epidemiological situation but rather the significant strain that the progression of the epidemic is placing on diagnostic capacity (longer wait times for appointments, testing, and data consolidation).