Key Points

COVID-19 - Indicators are declining in the region, with the exception of mortality, which is stabilizing

In Week 46, all COVID-19 surveillance indicators are declining for the first week since this summer, with the exception of mortality, which appears to be stabilizing for deaths occurring in hospitals. All-cause deaths are still on the rise in Week 45 (the last week with consolidated data). The effective reproduction number (R), which reflects the rate of spread, is now below 1 regardless of the source. These trends were generally consistent across the region’s departments; however, hospital indicators remain stable in several departments.

These data reflect (i) a decline in the regional infection rate (Sidep indicators), which nevertheless remains very high; and (ii) a slowdown in the epidemic. This trend suggests a positive effect from the strengthening of barrier measures and social distancing in recent weeks (curfews, followed by lockdown) and from communication regarding the epidemiological situation, which had been a major concern since October.