Last week, 1.29 million samples were validated, an increase of 4.8% compared to the previous seven days.
As summer approaches, more French people are getting tested. Driven by the epidemic recovery observed for two weeks, the number of Covid-19 screening tests has started to rise again. According to the latest data published this Thursday by DREES, attached to the Ministry of Health, 1.291 million samples were validated last week, up 4.8% compared to the previous seven days.
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For the time being, if the increase remains contained, of the order of 58,800 more samples compared to the previous week, the momentum is indeed there. “The number of tests is on the rise for all age groups and more strongly for those under 16“, specifies the statistical service, which also recalls that the past week was marked by a public holiday, slightly distorting the data.
A low point had been reached at the end of May, with just over a million tests recorded over seven days. Since then, this number has gradually increased, an increase that can also be seen in the daily number of direct debits. While 150,000 tests were validated each day on average the week of May 23, this number rose to 176,000 that of May 30, then to 185,000 that of June 6. A 23% increase in three weeks.
A still moderate epidemic recovery
This development was expected, going hand in hand with a slight epidemic rebound. Falling below 190 at the end of May, the incidence rate thus rose to 322 on June 12. However, it remains at levels comparable to the pre-Omicron period, last November. In addition, the daily toll of hospitalizations and critical care admissions continues to decline.
Several countries are facing an epidemic recovery. In Germany, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said that “the wave announced for the summer has unfortunately come true“. In Italy, the number of cases is also on the rise. In France, the Ba.4 and Ba.5 subvariants, which represented a significant proportion of cases at the end of last week, are spreading across the country. In mid-May, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned against these, indicating that they could lead to a resumption of contamination in the weeks to come.
Health authorities remain cautious: “In South Africa […]where BA.4 is now the majority, the peak of the epidemic wave was passed in mid-May and its impact was very moderate“, noted Public Health France in its last epidemiological point. In Portugal, where Ba.5 is now dominant, “the incidence is increasing but still remains at lower levels than the previous waveadded the experts.
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