Covid-19: The epidemic continues to spread in France, 28 departments in the red zone

 Covid-19: The epidemic continues to spread in France, 28 departments in the red zone

7,071 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours and seven departments have been added to the list permitting enhanced measures.

With nearly 25,000 new cases in three days, and indicators still deteriorating globally, the Covid-19 epidemic continues to spread, which does not prevent the government from considering reducing the isolation period for patients and contacts.

After nearly 9,000 new cases peaked on Friday, a record high since the start of the epidemic and widespread testing in France, about 8,500 cases were confirmed on Saturday, and then 7,071 cases on Sunday, according to French Public Health. Thus the increase observed since the beginning of the summer continues to accelerate, as the French enter schools and businesses.

Today we have a 30% growth in the number of cases per week, and 15% in the number of hospitalizations. Epidemiologist Antoine Fontane warned at the LCI conference on Sunday that if we continue at the same pace, we will reach a critical situation in December in several regions of France.

In Marseille, many doctors have also stepped up to warn of the increasing tension in hospitals, such as Dr. Herve Champost, Medical Director of Crisis, assuring us that “People at risk are once again dangerous forms and are currently in intensive care”.

28 divisions, including 4 outside, are in the red

Meanwhile, the government placed seven new departments in the "red zone" on Sunday, bringing the number of departments in which enhanced measures can be taken against the virus to 28, according to a decree published on Sunday in the Official Gazette.

North, Bas-Rhin, Seine-Maritime and Côte-d'Or - four divisions with important conglomerates, Lille, Rouen, Le Havre, Strasbourg, Dijon - the provinces of Corsica (Corsica-du-Sud and Haute-Corse) and Isle Reunion affected by these new procedures.

28 departments, including four abroad, have been classified in this region by this decree, which will come into effect "immediately".

Paris and Bouches-du-Rhône were the first to be classified as "red" as of August 14, due to the intensification of the virus. The transition from an administration to an "active virus circulation area", also called a "red zone", means that governors have "enhanced powers" to take additional measures, based on "local epidemiological data".

The development of other indicators remains of concern in France: 58 new sources of pollution (“clusters”) have been discovered in the past 24 hours, out of a total of 528 under investigation, including 214 in nursing homes. .

The positivity rate (percentage of positive cases, among all people tested over a 7-day period) continues to rise at the same time: it reached 4.9% on Sunday, versus 4.3% in the middle of the week. Finally, 3 additional hospital deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, or a total of 20,225 deaths. Including deaths in nursing homes and other social and medical social institutions, the total death toll since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in France now stands at 30,701.

The number of patients currently in intensive care has not been determined by SPF, but the organization reports that 1,704 new hospital admissions have been made over the past seven days, including 288 severe in the reaction condition.