In week 16 (April 18–24, 2022), the decline in the incidence rate (adjusted for the effect of the April 18 holiday) accelerated (-26%), and the positivity rate (28.5%) fell by 3.2 percentage points, though both indicators remained high. The decline in the number of new hospitalizations that began in Week 15 appeared to continue into Week 16, but this trend needs to be confirmed next week. In the overseas territories, the adjusted incidence rate and the rate of new hospital admissions remained very high in Réunion. As of April 25, 3.3% of those aged 60–79 and 13.2% of those aged 80 and older had received a second booster dose. While the latest CoviPrev survey shows a sharp decline in the consistent use of preventive measures since February, maintaining them remains essential to protect the most vulnerable in the current context of ongoing circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. At the same time, vaccination efforts must continue, particularly for the second booster dose
among the oldest individuals, which is well-accepted among those who have already received a first dose, according to the CoviPrev survey. Adherence to other recommended measures also remains essential in the event of symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to a high-risk contact.

Continued Decline in Incidence Rate

Nationally, the adjusted incidence rate (to account for the April 18 holiday) fell sharply in week 16 (-26% compared to week 15) and dropped below the threshold of 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This trend was observed across all age groups and was once again particularly pronounced among those under 20, with an incidence rate below 500. In contrast, this indicator remained above 1,000 in most other age groups, reaching 1,163 (-20%) among those aged 70–79 and 1,151 (-18%) among those aged 90 and older. The adjusted
testing rate also decreased (-17%), particularly among those aged 0–9 (-33%) and 10–19 (-23%). It remained highest among those aged 90 and older (4,758, -8%). After five weeks of increases and one week of stabilization, the positivity rate fell by 3.2 percentage points but remained high (28.5%). It decreased across all age groups, ranging from a 1.8-point drop (26.4%) among those aged 20–29 to a 5.5-point drop (19.7%) among those aged 10–19. It remained highest among those aged 50–59 (33.0%).

In mainland France, the adjusted incidence rate decreased across all regions. Only Corsica maintained a rate above 1,000, and the lowest rate was observed in Île-de-France. The adjusted testing rate, which was down in all regions, was highest in Corsica. The positivity rate also decreased across the country, particularly sharply in Île-de-France and Occitanie. In the overseas territories, the adjusted incidence rate remained very high in Réunion and was still high in Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Downward trend in the number of new hospital admissions, but indicators remain high

Nationally, the number of new hospitalizations (7,989, -21%) and new admissions to intensive care (832, -15%) remained high in week 16. These downward trends will need to be confirmed after data consolidation in the coming days, as consolidated indicators for Week 15 showed a slight decrease in hospitalizations (-6%), but admissions to intensive care units were still rising slightly (+5%). In Week 16, the number of deaths in hospitals and long-term care facilities stood at 806 (-6%, unconsolidated data). The excess mortality from all causes observed between weeks 12 and 15 mainly concerned those aged 65–84, as well as those aged 85 and older in weeks 14 and 15.

In mainland France, rates of new hospitalizations were highest in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Normandy. Rates of new admissions to intensive care were rising in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. In the overseas territories, the rate of new hospitalizations remained very high in Réunion.

Almost exclusive circulation of the BA.2 sublineage of the Omicron variant

Sequencing data confirm the ubiquity of Omicron in France. In mainland France, it accounted for 100% of interpretable sequences in the Flash S15 survey (April 11) and 99.9% in the Flash S14 survey (April 4). In the overseas departments and regions (DROM), Omicron has been the only variant detected since Flash S06-2022 (02/07). These data illustrate the near-exclusive circulation of Omicron throughout the entire territory.

The XD recombinant has been classified as a variant under monitoring (VUM) since the variant risk analysis of 03/23/2022, due to its genetic characteristics derived from the parent variants of concern (VOCs) (Delta AY.4 and Omicron BA.1). It accounts for less than 0.1% of interpretable sequences from Flash surveys S01 (01/03) through S14 (04/04), and was not detected during Flash survey S15. More information is available in the variant risk assessment dated 04/20/2022.

More than 13% of people aged 80 and older have received a second booster dose

As of April 25, 2022, the estimated vaccination coverage in the general population was 79.6% for a complete primary vaccination series and 59.0% for the booster dose. Vaccination coverage for the booster dose was 73.7% among those aged 18 and older and 83.7% among those aged 65 and older. In addition, 9.6% of children aged 10 to 11 had received a first vaccine dose (3.2% for those aged 5 to 9). Among those aged 60–79, 3.3% had received a second booster dose, and 32.0% of those eligible had actually received it. Among those aged 80 and older, vaccination coverage for the second booster dose was 13.2%, and 19.9% of those eligible as of that date had received it.

Data on vaccination coverage by department, as well as data on the second booster dose among those aged 60 and older and among residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities, are published on Géodes.