Key points

Guadeloupe, Saint Martin

For the past three weeks, monitoring indicators and epidemic pressure metrics have shown active viral circulation across all our territories:

• Incidence rates* are now above the alert threshold in Saint Martin and Guadeloupe, which are among the departments with the highest incidence rates in France.

• Positivity rates* are on the rise: in Guadeloupe for several weeks now; it is approaching the alert threshold (9.5%), and it decreased in Saint Martin last week (10% vs. 13%); these two territories had the highest positivity rates in France last week.

• Visits to general practitioners for acute respiratory infections (ARI) have been increasing for the past three weeks, with a more pronounced rise in Guadeloupe last week.

• The number of positive cases identified through contact tracing of individuals who tested positive has been rising for several weeks. Secondary transmission chains and new clusters (groups of cases) have been identified in Guadeloupe (n=11) and Saint Martin (n=2). Most of the clusters currently under surveillance (n=6) have been reported in the workplace. Nevertheless, nearly all cases from these clusters were locally acquired (autochthonous cases) outside the workplace.

• The 25–35 age group is currently the most affected by this resurgence of viral circulation in Guadeloupe.

• As of September 3, 2020, the intensive care unit at Guadeloupe University Hospital has 6 hospitalized patients confirmed by RT-PCR.

Saint-Barthélemy

• In Saint-Barthélemy, surveillance indicators show low viral circulation in the territory.

Local transmission is now established in Guadeloupe and Saint Martin. Contact tracing around confirmed cases continues and is helping to prevent the establishment of secondary transmission chains. The latest reported clusters are mostly linked to the workplace. These clusters are being closely monitored to prevent an increase in community spread of the virus.

The French Antilles are classified as an “area of active viral circulation.”