Paris: how to explain that the capital is less affected by the Covid?

While the whole of France is facing the 2nd wave of Covid-19, Paris is an exception, the virus developing less rapidly than in other French metropolises.

Jérôme Salomon, Director General of Health, described the 2nd wave on Tuesday evening as ” massive, deadly and straining caregivers and our entire healthcare system “. The director general of the Île-de-France regional health agency, Aurélien Rousseau, also declared on October 8 that Paris hospitals should prepare for ” a very strong tide New patients. Forecasts that do not seem to concern Paris, which records few daily cases, compared to its population. The French capital is even 14th in the ranking of the least affected departments, a surprising fact when you consider that Paris is one of the densest cities in the world.

While in the spring, Ile-de-France was hit hard by the coronavirus, it seems the 2nd wave would be weaker than expected. In terms of hospitalizations, Paris recorded 3281 admissions during the peak of the 1st wave against 1284 currently. A decrease also observed in intensive care where there are currently 304 patients while more than 700 beds were occupied in mid-April. The incidence rate drops sharply, from 600 to 162 per 100 inhabitants within four weeks. Paris hospitals even accept transfers from other regions, while in April, services were overwhelmed.

The measures taken, such as the closure of bars and restaurants as well as the curfew, seem to have worked for the capital and would have broken this second wave. According to Renaud Piarroux, epidemiologist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, it is mainly the Covisan device that has made it possible to reduce this spread. Covisan is a screening device only set up in the Parisian capital. It was launched in May 2020 for “ secure deconfinement »And allows personalized support. Mobile teams test people who may be infected and guide them through what to do with them. Since the summer, 40,000 people have been supported.

Renaud Piarroux, epidemiologist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, reveals that the indicators “ all show a very steep decline. In the figures, the decrease in the number of contaminations is undoubtedly a little amplified by the fact that the cases detected by the antigenic tests are not counted. But the movement remains important “. The Regional Health Authority has also observed that “ viral circulation is less »Throughout Île-de-France. In addition, Paris is already preparing for the 3rd wave, the City of Paris wishing to anticipate in order to avoid taking new urgent measures in the future.