Where is the Covid-19 epidemic in Occitanie? The fifth wave has begun and the virus is again actively spreading in all departments. New infections are beginning to weigh on hospitals in the area: the number of admissions is rising again.
This “warning letter” That the Regional Health Agency of Occitanie wanted to present this morning an update on the health situation in the region.
“We are in a time of pandemic where we can still act and make a strong impactexplained Pierre Ricordo, General Manager of ARS Occitanie. Infection rates are increasing rapidly but are still moderate compared to what we have seen in recent waves.”
If the population mobilizes, we can still limit the growth of the epidemic.
Specifically, while public authorities agree on this The fifth wave is hereWhere is the epidemic in our region? Let’s take a look at the latest numbers.
The virus is spreading very actively everywhere
In Occitanie, the circulation of Covid-19 is accelerating “Very fast and everywhere” According to the ARS. Regionally, the incidence is 175, an increase of 86% in one week.
Concretely, it’s now over 100 across all departments. It even exceeds 200 cases per 100,000 residents in Arij, Aveyron, Hautes-Pyrenees, Hérault and Tarn-et-Garonne. That’s more than the national average of 180.
Within five weeks, the test positivity rate increased fivefold, from 0.8% on October 12 to 4.9% on November 12, as shown in the following graph.
The hospital is under pressure again
If hospital services are not saturated, the impact of the fifth wave will still be felt. In one week, the number of hospitalizations due to Covid increased by 22%. The number of intensive care admissions increased by 19% over the same period.
Among the new patients, there are mostly non-immunized people.
We see that vaccination remains strong in protecting against severe forms. We have very few vaccinated people in intensive care units.
9 out of 10 residents have been vaccinated
Across the region, 4.5 million people have been fully vaccinated. That’s 9 out of 10 people, among those over 12 years old.
For the booster vaccine, which is currently available to people over 65 and people with comorbidities, a quarter of the eligible population received a third dose.
The ARS therefore encourages those who have not yet been vaccinated to do so, while not forgetting to respect the gestures of the barrier.
All safety arms must be used.
“We are facing a complex issue: the resumption of the Covid epidemic and winter epidemics such as bronchiolitis and influenza., explains Pierre Ricordio. Then the holiday season approaches, with the risk of inaction that could accelerate the epidemic. So we have to be very careful now.”
From December 1, the third dose will be available to all people over 50 years old.