health
Covid-19 spreads across France before winter vaccination rollout
Departments in south-west see rise in emergency room visits for suspected infections
Covid-19 is on the rise across France, a new report from health authorities shows, as vulnerable people are urged to get their autumn flu and Covid vaccinations.
The south-west and the north-east are particularly affected, with an increase in emergency room visits in several departments.
The increase of the presence of the virus across France may be due to a new strain that can more easily bypass immune system defences against the illness, but the exact strain has not been determined.
France’s health authorities start the Covid-19 and flu joint vaccination campaign on October 13.
More information on how to get vaccinated can be seen in our article here.
Rapid jump in presence of virus
The information comes from the latest report on Covid-19 by health authority Santé publique France, released on October 7.
One of the main methods used for tracking the presence of the virus nationally is testing for the presence of Covid-19 in wastewater.
The higher its presence within wastewater, the higher the national circulation of the virus is.
It has become a particularly useful way to determine the presence of the virus, as now that it is generally weaker, many people can be infected without knowing, with symptoms similar to the cold or flu.
If treatment is not sought, their case is not recorded, however an increased presence in wastewater will be noted.
Readings have increased across the 54 stations investigated, with levels reaching those not seen since last autumn.
They indicate a presence of 2244.58 (ratio of viral concentration to ammonium nitrogen in the water) for week 39 of 2026.
This is lower than a reading of 3299.74 at the same week (39) in 2025, but significantly higher than the 1824.56 from week 38 of this year.
Week 39 of 2025 was the peak of the virus’ presence in wastewater last year, and it began to fall by week 40 onwards. If a similar trend follows this year, readings will soon begin to drop.
However, the virus has shown “sustained growth that is exponential and very rapid,” said professor Antoine Flahault at Paris Cité university to Actu.
The growth may be caused by a new, more powerful variant spreading in France.
“All new Covid waves are driven by new variants that spread because they are more transmissible and more easily bypass the initial immune defences acquired by the population,” the professor said.
Several European countries have reported a new Omicron sub-variant from the XFG family spreading this autumn, although little is known about the strain.
South-west hit hard
Santé publique France has also released data on the areas where official cases have been recorded.
This includes the number of emergency room visits for suspected cases of Covid-19, alongside subsequent hospitalisations following a visit.
Gers has seen the single-largest number of emergency room visits for suspected Covid-19, at 692 per 100,000 visits.
Tarn-et-Garonne and Lot-et-Garonne followed, with 603 and 556 respectively.
Meuse, in the north-east, saw the highest number of hospitalisations following an emergency room visit.
Several departments across France are yet to have official information on either emergency room visits or hospitalisations.
An interactive map of the available data is available on the Actu website here.
No cause for concern
Despite the increase in cases and presence of the virus, Professor Flahault has repeated earlier calls to remain calm.
“There are no particular grounds for concern regarding this new autumn wave,” he said.
No reports of particularly severe cases or atypical symptoms have been reported in relation to the new strain.
