The winter Covid-19 spike continues to grow, with GPs identifying nearly 100,000 new cases in one week. We look at the data in a graph and the regions affected.
The number of new cases has been increasing for five weeks, with 93,757 people diagnosed between December 4 and 10.
The current spike in Covid-19 cases seen by GPs is higher than it was in December 2021, however, bear in mind that this may well be a statistical anomaly, since home and pharmacy testing was far more prevalent during that period.
Nonetheless, Covid-19 cases are rising with 5,428 people receiving emergency care in hospital and 2,221 hospitalised during the week ending December 10. Covid-19 cases represent 3% of hospital admissions nationally according to Santé France.
Nationally, 3% of hospitalisations are related to Covid-19, however this is higher in the east, the south-east and in Corsica.
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A new variant in circulation
Pic: Santé Publique
While there may be some statistical factors that skew this rise, such as people with Covid symptoms no longer using home tests, there is also a new variant in circulation: JN.1.
However, Bruno Lina, professor of virology at Hospices Civils de Lyon, states that the JN.1 variant is no more dangerous than previous Omicron variants of Covid.
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“We are seeing this lineage is progressively replacing all the others,” he told BFMTV. “Now it accounts for 50% of all infections in France.”
“However, the symptomatology of the Omicron variants remains the same: an upper respiratory tract infection, with more complicated cases affecting vulnerable and elderly people."
While the new JN.1 variant may be more able to evade immunity conferred by previous infections with different strains of Covid, a recent US study suggested that mRNA vaccine boosters are effective in creating “robust neutralising antibodies” against J.N1.
The mRNA vaccine boosters are currently in use in France as part of the government’s Covid booster campaign.
