Key Points

In Week 31 (August 2–8, 2021), SARS-CoV-2 transmission remains high but appears to be stabilizing in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The regional incidence rate increased by 2% to 206 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, below the national incidence rate (236/100,000). The 15–44 age group still has the highest incidence rate, but it is also the group with the highest testing activity. Furthermore, the incidence among 15–44-year-olds is declining in Week 31, unlike in other age groups where it is rising, reflecting the spread of the epidemic toward older age groups. The regional positivity rate remains stable at 4.2%. The testing rate has increased by 2%. The departments of Drôme, Rhône, Savoie, and Haute-Savoie have the highest incidence rates in the region, exceeding 200 per 100,000.

Indicators continue to rise for primary care visits (+9% in procedures performed by SOS-Médecins associations; +22% in emergency room visits).

It is also continuing in long-term care facilities, which reported 29 new outbreaks involving one or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Week 31 (vs. 20 in Week 30) and an increase in the number of cases among residents and staff.

At the hospital level, although less pronounced, the rise in indicators continues in Week 31 with 513 new hospitalizations (+55% vs. +119% in Week 30) and 99 new admissions to critical care units (+36% vs. +248% in Week 30). Still on the rise, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients reached 910 (+24%), including 148 (+45%) in critical care units. COVID-19-related deaths are rising sharply (37 in Week 31, a 131% increase).

Vaccination coverage continues to increase across the region, particularly among those under 50. As of August 10, 2021, 67.6% of the region’s total population had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since the start of the campaign, and 57.1% of the population had received a full vaccination regimen.