The number of new hospitalisations has been rising steadily over the past few days.

The Covid-19 epidemic, which experienced a brief lull in France after a wave at the beginning of the autumn, is starting up again. This was detailed by Santé publique France on Friday 25 November, in an already tense context, between the early bronchiolitis epidemic and the arrival of the flu.

Last week was marked by a “resumption of circulation” of the coronavirus and an increase in hospitalisations, the public health agency summarised in its weekly report on Covid. It is currently difficult to obtain precise details of the number of cases in France due to a strike by biological laboratories. However, the data transmitted by pharmacies clearly show a resumption of infections.

The fear of a triple epidemic
The current rebound is already reflected in a “resumption of the rise in new hospitalisations and admissions to critical care”, after “four weeks of decline”, emphasises Santé publique France. Last week, 4,210 people were hospitalised for a Covid-19 infection, an increase of 6%.

Although the total number of hospitalized patients (less than 19,000) remains well below the highest levels observed this year, this recovery risks putting a strain on an already very difficult health system. The bronchiolitis epidemic, which mainly affects babies, is on an unprecedented scale for the last ten years. And the seasonal flu epidemic, although not yet declared, is expected to occur earlier than usual and raises fears of the impact of a “tri-epidemic”.

In this context, while recalling the importance of barrier measures such as wearing a mask in enclosed and crowded places, Santé publique France encourages the French to update their anti-Covid vaccination. Since the beginning of October, a booster dose is planned for people at risk, including all those over 60 years old. Among 60-79 year olds, only 31.2% are considered to be protected by vaccination (vaccination less than six months old); among those aged 80 and over, 12% (vaccination less than three months old), according to the health agency’s data as of 21 November.