Analysis of the Epidemiological Situation

• Since the emergence of COVID-19 in early March 2020, a total of 249 confirmed cases have been recorded in Martinique, including 59 since May 13 (the date the new surveillance system was implemented). Of these 59 cases, 51 are imported cases (defined as travel within the 14 days prior to testing) from mainland France, French Guiana, or abroad (Canada, Saint Lucia, and Haiti, among others).

• Positivity rates are declining and have reached very low levels over the past two weeks, below 1% (compared to 36% at the end of March);

• Weekly incidence rates are decreasing in week 26 (2.8 per 100,000 inhabitants) compared to week 24, during which they had increased mainly due to the influx of new cases testing positive from mainland France or abroad, under the protocols currently in effect;

• In primary care, for the past 4 weeks, the proportion of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) seen by doctors in the sentinel network and attributable to COVID-19 has been zero, as have home visits for suspected COVID-19 conducted by doctors from the SOS-médecins association;

• Trends in visits to emergency and intensive care units: as in weeks S24* and S25*, no visits to adult emergency departments for suspected COVID-19 were recorded in week S26; Five cases of COVID-19 originating from French Guiana and a neighboring Caribbean country were admitted over the past three weeks (weeks 24 to 26).

Conclusion: To date, Martinique remains at a limited vulnerability level due to the absence of evidence suggesting local transmission in the community or in healthcare settings. No cases or clusters of cases have been detected on the island. The diagnosed cases are individuals with a history of travel prior to the detection of SARS-CoV-2 during routine testing conducted upon travelers’ arrival. The primary risk of a resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic therefore lies in the emergence of one or more transmission chains originating from imported confirmed cases. Increased vigilance must therefore be maintained regarding the monitoring of these new imported cases and the management measures that have so far made it possible to contain the epidemic risk.