Key Points

In Week 09, the number of new cases stabilized at a high level. The situation remains concerning due to the increase in ICU admissions amid the spread of more transmissible variants.

• The number of new cases has stabilized after two weeks of increases

• Increase in the number of patients in intensive care

• Continued improvement in all indicators among people aged 75 and older, consistent with the increase in vaccination coverage

• COVID-19-related mortality remains high

• Mainland France: the hardest-hit regions are Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

• Overseas territories: decline in indicators in Mayotte

Variants

• Suspected variants of interest identified by screening RT-PCR:

  • increase in the proportion of suspected cases of the 20I/501Y.V1 variant: 66%

  • Decrease in the proportion of suspected 20H/501Y.V2 or 20J/501Y.V3 variants: 5%

Prevention

• Vaccination:

  • acceleration of vaccination since early March 2021

  • As of March 9, 2021: 4,164,418 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with a vaccination coverage rate of 6% for the first dose

• Importance of consistently following preventive measures and limiting contact

• If symptoms develop, immediate isolation is required, and a test must be taken as soon as possible

• Need to continue identifying and controlling transmission chains