Key points

In week 49, SARS-CoV-2 circulation continued to increase, with hospital indicators again showing a rise.

• Metropolitan France:

  • Incidence rate above the peaks of the second, third, and fourth waves

  • Highest incidence rate among 6- to 10-year-olds (>1,000 per 100,000) followed by 11- to 14-year-olds and 30- to 39-year-olds (>700)

  • New hospital and intensive care admissions remain below the levels seen during the first three waves but are rising in most regions

• Overseas France: incidence rate and hospitalizations increasing on Réunion Island

Variants

• Flash Survey from week 48 (November 29): Delta variant identified in 99% of sequenced samples

• 310 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in France as of 4 p.m. on December 16

• Moderate circulation of the B.1.640 variant across the country

Contact tracing

Adaptation of the contact tracing program to handle the very high number of new cases: indicators should be interpreted with caution.

Prevention

• CoviPrev Survey (wave 30, November 30–December 7):

  • Overwhelming majority of adults support vaccination, including the booster (90%)

  • 94% of vaccinated people intend to get tested if they are a contact of a positive case, compared to 74% of unvaccinated people

  • Better adherence to preventive measures

• Vaccination as of December 14, 2021 (Covid Vaccine Data):

  • 78.0% of the French population had received at least one vaccine dose, and 76.4% were fully vaccinated

  • 60.5% of people aged 65 and older had received a booster shot, representing 82.0% of the eligible population in this age group

• Importance of combining measures: vaccination and booster doses for the eligible population, adherence to contact tracing, and compliance with preventive measures to protect the healthcare system