A press conference was organized by Bernard Gonzalez, the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, to discuss the health crisis affecting the department.
The numbers speak for themselves. Alpes-Maritimes has been severely affected by COVID-19. The department has results well above the national average. This is one of the main conclusions of the press conference organized by Bernard Gonzalez.
For this occasion, the prefect invited Romain Alexandre, the departmental director of the Regional Health Agency (ARS), Benoรฎt Huber, the prefecture’s chief of staff, Emmanuelle Joubert, departmental director of Border Police, Professor Olivier Guรฉrin, head of the geriatrics department at the Nice University Hospital (CHU), and Professor Olivier Carles, an infectious disease specialist at the CHU. Each person discussed the evolution of the health crisis within the department.
The numbers
Regarding the key elements of the pandemic, as of February 5, 2021, Alpes-Maritimes has an incidence rate of 447 per 100,000 inhabitants. For comparison, the national average is 213. The rate has slightly decreased in recent days, but it remains very high compared to the national level. The same is true for the positivity rate. France has a rate of 6.7%, and the department is above this figure, with a rate of 8.9%.
More than 78,600 people have died in France, including over 1,400 in Alpes-Maritimes. The department also has an intensive care bed occupancy rate estimated at 95%. The figures are quite concerning. The emergence of variants is also a problem. In France, variants accounted for 3.3% of detected cases last January. Today, they represent 14%. The British variant has already appeared in Alpes-Maritimes.
Vaccines and measures
Since December, more than 66,000 vaccines have been delivered to the department. About 15,000 vaccines are delivered each week. More than 39,000 people have already received a first injection. Nearly 1,500 people are considered vaccinated after receiving both injections.
Furthermore, checks carried out by the police have been strengthened. More than 39,000 people have been checked by the gendarmerie since January 1, and 2,341 fines have been issued for non-compliance with the curfew. On their part, the police have issued 715 fines.
The border police can also reserve the right to turn back people whose primary residence is not in France or foreign individuals if they do not present a negative PCR test taken within the last 72 hours.
Bernard Gonzalez’s message
The prefect of Alpes-Maritimes urges citizens to adhere to health protocols: “I sometimes get the impression that people forget we are in a medical operation. We are in the field of health, in medical matters. We are not dealing with administrative operations. The occupancy rate of our ICU beds is concerning. We need to remain vigilant. The emergence of these new variants leads us to take more stringent measures, from both medical and administrative perspectives. These operations continue with respect for health protocols, closures, curfews… If I have a message to convey, it would be to remain respectful of the rules. We must stay cautious. There are still too many people wanting to break the rules. These are important rules.”
