During his weekly update, on September 23, 2020, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran announced new criteria intended to halt the resurgence of the epidemic in the country.
“We pay special attention to the elderly.
From them even more than to others, I ask for the greatest vigilance, ”declared the Minister after indicating that the circulation of the virus among our seniors would become a key criterion to frame the health situation in the weeks to come.
READ ALSO>
Measures against Covid-19: the hammer blow
Thus, in a given department or territory, an incidence level of 50 new cases per 100,000 elderly people becomes necessary to move from the alert threshold to the next level: the reinforced alert threshold.
Likewise, a level of 100 would "switch to the maximum alert threshold".
To date, only Guadeloupe and the agglomeration of Aix-Marseille have been tinted with the darkest red.
A lower incidence in the elderly, but on the rise
The low mortality observed in recent months is partly attributable to the fact that the elderly seemed less affected by the virus throughout the summer.
At the beginning of August, the incidence among those over 70 was three times lower than in the rest of the population.
However, the trend changed a lot after the start of the school year.
In the wake of the youngest, the increase in contamination among their elders is notable.
Last week, from September 14 to 20, the over-70s were still half as affected by the epidemic as the rest of the population, but the incidence rate in this category has increased tenfold since mid- July, reaching 52 contaminations per 100,000 people in one week, according to Public Health France.
Marseille, Lyon and Seine-Saint-Denis particularly concerned
While this trend is clear across the country, the reality is more nuanced depending on the territory.
The departments where the elderly are most affected are: Guadeloupe, Rhône, Lozère, Bouches-du-Rhône, Loire and Seine-Saint-Denis.
All have an incidence of over 100 among those over 70.
In terms of trend, the acceleration of contaminations among seniors seems particularly worrying in Bouches-du-Rhône, Rhône and Gironde.
In all, 30 departments have an incidence rate of over 50 per 100,000 in the elderly.
Protect yourself, without isolating yourself
If the Minister has repeatedly insisted on strengthening the protection of the elderly, whether at home or in nursing homes, Olivier Véran recalled that "protection does not mean loneliness and isolation".
READ ALSO>
Covid-19: three questions on the “social bubble” touted by Olivier Véran
Newsletter - Most of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le Parisien
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
A delicate balance intended to avoid a new spiral of hospitalization, resuscitation and death.
Resuscitations are particularly on the rise in recent days, and have reached the levels observed at the start of confinement.
