Key Points

COVID-19

In Hauts-de-France, from January 11 to 17, 2021, the number of new cases continued to rise, and regional epidemic dynamics confirm the spread of the epidemic at the regional level. At the departmental and territorial levels, the epidemic is spreading significantly (+20%) in the three southern departments of the region (Aisne, Oise, and Somme), while incidence and positivity rates remained stable in Nord and Pas-de-Calais compared to the previous week, against a backdrop of overall stability in regional and departmental testing rates. The spread of the epidemic is observed across all age groups, but it was most pronounced among those aged 65 and older last week, particularly in the southern part of the region.

In Hauts-de-France, 11,704 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were diagnosed from January 11 to 17 (vs. 10,801 cases during the period of January 4 to 10, 2021), representing a 9% increase in new cases during the first week of January 2021. The incidence rate (IR) rose last week at the regional level, increasing from 181 per 100,000 to 197 per 100,000 inhabitants. The positivity rate is above the 5% alert threshold but remains stable, as does the testing rate (+17% at the regional level compared to the previous week).

Over the last 7-day rolling period, the regional effective reproduction number, estimated based on the trend in the number of newly diagnosed cases,
decreased slightly in the second half of 2021 but remains significantly above 1: R-eff = 1.15 [1.13–1.17]. The value of this epidemic dynamics parameter, which is significantly greater than 1, confirms the active resurgence of the epidemic in the region. The spread of the epidemic affects all age groups (Figure 3), but since last week there has been a significant increase in incidence rates and positivity rates among people over 70 years of age, particularly in the three southern departments of the region.

Winter Epidemics

• Bronchiolitis: increasing trend

• Influenza: stable trend

• Gastroenteritis: on the rise