Key Points

COVID-19

• In Week 5, several indicators are trending downward in the Normandy region.

• Incidence and positivity rates are decreasing, while testing activity remains stable.

• Incidence rates in urban areas and the metropolitan region are also relatively stable or declining.

• The effective reproduction number, which reflects the rate of spread, is stable and remains below 1.

• In hospitals, there has been a decrease in the number of new hospitalizations as well as in the total number of people hospitalized for COVID-19. However, the number of people in intensive care is increasing.

• These trends suggest a decline in epidemic activity, but the incidence remains very high, and given the spread of more transmissible variants, the possibility of a worsening of the epidemiological situation in the coming weeks remains a scenario to be considered. Prevention measures and social distancing remain the primary means of curbing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and reducing its impact on the healthcare system and mortality rates.

• The vaccination campaign continues for people over 75, vulnerable individuals, and healthcare workers. As of February 9, 122,723 people had received at least one dose in the Normandy region, representing a vaccination coverage rate of 3.7%.

• In nursing homes, 82.2% of residents had received at least one dose and 40.0% had received two, and among healthcare workers in these facilities, 40.9% had received at least one dose and 18.3% had received two doses.

Bronchiolitis

Activity related to bronchiolitis at SOS clinics is on the rise and close to the levels of the past two years. Activity related to bronchiolitis in emergency departments, meanwhile, remains stable at a low level. Two new RSV strains were isolated in hospitalized patients by laboratories at Normandy university hospitals. Current respiratory infections are primarily caused by rhinoviruses.

Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis activity is increasing, though at a lower level than in previous years.