Key Points

In community practice, from August 3 to 9, the estimated number of consultations attributable to COVID-19 among consultations for acute respiratory infections (ARI) remained stable (source: sentinel physician network). The number of visits for suspected COVID-19 conducted by SOS Médecins remained low and stable compared to the previous week, with a total of 6 visits across all age groups. In hospitals, two visits to the adult emergency department at the Martinique University Hospital were reported in week 32. As of August 9, the number of confirmed/probable patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit is 3, 2 of whom were transferred from French Guiana as part of the medical evacuation program. From August 3 to 9, 66 new confirmed cases were recorded, compared to 18 the previous week: 32 cases are linked to clusters in workplaces or gatherings at festive events, 8 to family clusters, and 26 are sporadic cases. Among these 26 people, there were 8 individuals who tested positive and
had a history of travel, and 14 who were infected locally (autochthonous cases). Three clusters have been recorded since late July (weeks 31 and 32), including one associated with a temporary gathering of people and two in workplace settings.

Data from virological surveillance (SI-DEP) in week 32 indicate:

• a positivity rate of 2.3%, higher than the previous week’s rate but still below the vigilance* or alert* threshold;

• an incidence rate of 18.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, which exceeds the vigilance threshold of 10 per 1,000,000 inhabitants** due to extensive testing.

Thus, biological surveillance data confirm an increase in viral circulation in the region due to the identification of clusters and the rise in the number of locally transmitted cases. Other indicators (emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and outpatient consultations) remain at low levels. Martinique’s vulnerability to COVID-19 remains limited to date.