Epidemiological Situation

Since early March, 7,728 cases of COVID-19 have been detected in French Guiana: as was the case last week, an average of 80 cases have been confirmed daily since the last epidemiological update, though there has been a downward trend in recent days. The decline could resume following the stabilization observed since mid-July.

The decrease in new confirmed cases is particularly marked on the island of Cayenne and in the Kourou area, while the epidemic is lagging behind in the Maroni and St. Laurent regions, where signs of improvement are nevertheless emerging. Testing pressure remains high for the sixth consecutive week, with nearly 4,000 tests conducted last week. The positivity rate has remained stable at 18%, representing a threefold decrease over three weeks.

With an average of 15 new hospitalizations per day compared to 23 the previous week and just under 2 admissions per day to intensive care, the trend is also improving for the hospital system, even though the burden of the outbreak on intensive care units remains significant. With 43 hospital deaths, the health impact of severe forms of COVID-19 is unfortunately confirmed, although this impact remains well below that observed in many countries or in mainland France during the first wave, likely due to the young age of the Guianese population and the constant improvements in patient care by healthcare providers. Visits to the emergency room for suspected COVID-19 have declined at Cayenne General Hospital, remained stable in Kourou, and increased in St. Laurent du Maroni last week. The French Guiana Sentinel Physicians Network has recorded a decrease in acute respiratory infections—a portion of which is attributable to the coronavirus—for the third consecutive week.

The challenge today is twofold: to control the spread observed along the western coast and in the Maroni region, and to reduce the epidemic circulation in French Guiana to a sufficiently low level to limit any risk of a resurgence should preventive measures be relaxed. The most vulnerable are protected only by the responsible actions of those around them. Since nearly one in four infected people has no visible symptoms, getting tested—even without symptoms—is an opportunity to protect yourself and your loved ones.

“Test, trace, isolate”: efforts to identify, test, and prevent the spread continued last week, with a total of 404 people tested across 19 operations, and the positivity rate dropping to 15%. This coordination between the ARS and local partners (the French Red Cross, Médecins du Monde, supported by the health reserve) and local authorities is essential, as is the intensive contact tracing of all newly confirmed cases by the Health Insurance teams.