Covid19. ARS warns: “A health emergency is looming” in Toulouse and Occitanie
Through Anthony Assemat
Published on
What there is to knowUpdated 5h11 ago
The incidence rate has multiplied by 2.5 in ten days in Occitania.
Two departments in the region have crossed the bar of the incidence rate of 400: Hautes-Pyrénées and Hérault.
The five places where people are most infected in Occitania are in sports circles, nursing homes, festive and private gatherings, schools and places of early childhood.
“We know of a strong epidemic resumption in Occitania. And it concerns all territories and all ages ”. Wednesday 1uh December 2021, Etienne Guyot, the prefect of Haute-Garonne, alerted on the strong circulation of the virus in Toulouse and in our region. The numbers speak for themselves with more than 2,800 positive cases detected on average per day for a week (Medicare figures), 878 current hospitalizations and 208 people in intensive care. “In seven days, hospitals have 32% of additional patients hospitalized due to a serious case of Covid”, indicates the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Occitanie.
Over the past seven days, more than 1 in 20 (6.2%) tests performed in the regions have been positive.
An incidence rate multiplied by 2.5
The incidence rate – the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants – is also exploding and symbolizes the growth of the epidemic. “The incidence rate was multiplied by 2.5 in ten days. Tuesday, November 30, we were on average at 327 cases / 100,000 inhabitants. We are at levels close to the peak of the fourth wave, this fifth wave is progressing very quickly, ”explains Pierre Ricordeau, managing director of ARS Occitanie.
Two departments above the 400 mark
Two departments have crossed the bar of 400 incidence rates: the Hautes-Pyrénées and the Hérault. Three others, conversely, are below 300: Lozère, Aude and Tarn. Haute-Garonne, for its part, has 307 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. “The main places of contamination are in sports circles, nursing homes, festive and private gathering places, schools, early childhood establishments, businesses as well as bars, restaurants and nightclubs”, indicates Pierre Ricordeau, who calls for vaccination, respect for barrier gestures and health instructions: “We are not at the peak but we are approaching it. I am issuing the alert: a health emergency is looming ”.
What to fear from family and friends reunions for the end of year celebrations, especially with the arrival of the new Omicron variant?
“Common sense and a certain civility are enough”
Asked by Toulouse news, Jacques Izopet, virologist at Toulouse University Hospital, does not feel any particular anxiety. The vaccine is a major weapon, but there are also the barrier measures. We know very well that they are particularly effective: it is necessary to respect hygiene, the mask in particular in the situations where many people can find themselves gathered. And the third component that we have is the possibility of detecting symptomatic cases, contact cases, so as to isolate these people to avoid transmission. On a major weapon which is the vaccine. This does not mean that we must remain compartmentalized and confined, and I hope that we will not have to find this situation again. But I think that if we do not want to go towards this type of situation, the rules of common sense and a certain civility should be sufficient to control the spread of the virus ”.
Occitanie: more than 745,000 people received two doses
In Occitania, nearly 80% of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine and more than 745,000 people are fully vaccinated (two doses).
In total, since the start of the Covid-19 health crisis in March 2020, 5,335 people died in Occitanie, including 1182 in Hérault, 930 in Haute-Garonne and 751 in Gard.
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