As the government has just announced the implementation of a stricter curfew instead of a new lockdown, France is expecting a third epidemic wave that could hit in the coming days. Here is the Covid update…
This Friday, January 29, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced new measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus after a new Health Defense Council at the Élysée. The idea of a new lockdown is, for now, ruled out.
Among these new measures are:
- All entry into France from an EU country and any travel from France outside the EU will be prohibited, “except for imperative reasons.”
-
Certain non-food shopping centers with an area greater than 20,000 m2 will be closed.
-
The use of telework in companies (including public administrations) will be reinforced.
-
Controls will also be reinforced in case of non-compliance with the curfew.
The health authorities have recorded 22,858 new cases of contamination, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,153,487 since the beginning of the epidemic. The positivity rate remains at 7%.
Covid-19 deaths
356 people have died of Covid-19 in hospitals in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 75,620 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, including 52,917 in hospitals.
In hospitals
In the last seven days, 11,165 new hospitalizations have been recorded, including 1,797 in intensive care.
Regarding vaccination, daily figures have not yet been published at this time. It should be noted that 1,349,517 doses were administered last Thursday.
In the PACA region
Health indicators indicate an acceleration of the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 at a high level throughout the region. The incidence rate is increasing this week and stands at 377 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants this Friday, January 29. The positivity rate is 7.6%.
Today, 1,565 people are hospitalized in the PACA region in short-stay facilities for Covid-19, and 402 in intensive care or critical care units. This Friday, 704 intensive care beds are open in the region compared to 480 normally.
A graduated action plan, adapted to the evolution of the epidemic
The ARS Paca has been working for several months now on the basis of a graduated action plan, composed of levels to “activate” depending on the evolution of the epidemic and the forecasts from the Institut Pasteur.
Each level involves an increasing level of additional bed openings to care for the most severely affected patients.
The objective of this graduated plan: to anticipate the organizational measures to be deployed in healthcare facilities to manage the evolving volume of patients, while maintaining the routine activities of the facilities as long as possible. Access to technical platforms for critical cases must continue for patients with serious conditions that cannot wait.
Level 4 of this plan, corresponding to an intensive care bed occupancy rate exceeding 50%, has been activated since last October 28.
Due to the evolving health situation, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Health Agency activated the reinforced level 4 this Wednesday, which includes a 40% deprogramming of medical and surgical activities, avoiding loss of patient opportunities, and allowing capacity increases through the redeployment of block, surgical, and medical unit staff.
Medical evacuations to relieve intensive care units
To continue relieving intensive care units, medical evacuations have been organized:
- Friday, January 29: two patients hospitalized at AP-HM transferred to the Saint-Brieuc Hospital Center in the Brittany region.
-
Thursday, January 28: two patients from the Nice University Hospital transferred to the Vannes Hospital Center in the Brittany region.
-
Wednesday, January 27: one patient from Avignon Hospital transferred to the Montpellier University Hospital in the Occitanie region.
-
Tuesday, January 26: one patient from Avignon Hospital transferred to the St. John Clinic in Montpellier in the Occitanie region.
These operations result from close collaboration between the national health crisis center, the Brittany, Occitanie, and PACA Regional Health Agencies, SAMU, the medical teams of the departing and receiving healthcare facilities, and the Prefecture Department services.
Inter-department transfers also occurred last week. Three patients hospitalized in the Alpes-Maritimes facilities were transferred to the Bouches-du-Rhône department.
