EPIDEMIC: The Brittany region remains one of the least affected by the coronavirus but the number of cases is on the rise
This time it’s confirmed. After a false alarm at the geriatric centre of Chantepie, near Rennes, the Regional Health Agency has confirmed the presence of the English variant of coronavirus Covid-19 in Brittany. According to the ARS, ten cases have been detected in the region, one of the least affected in France by the coronavirus epidemic. This announcement is accompanied by a confirmation of the increase in the number of new cases in the region, particularly in Ille-et-Vilaine and in Morbihan.
Five situations of the British variant, considered to be more contagious, have so far been recorded in the region: four cases in an establishment in Ille-et-Vilaine, two cases in a family in Finistère, a couple and a person only in Morbihan, and one case in Côtes d’Armor. “The 6 confirmed cases all had a link with contacts from the United Kingdom,” said the ARS in its press release, before adding. “For these situations, the number of risky contacts was very limited or even non-existent outside the family. None of these cases confirmed with the British variant presented a serious form ”. A major “contact tracing” campaign has been launched in order to “break the chains of transmission”.
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Relatively spared by the epidemic, Brittany has seen the number of positive cases pick up again for a week. Just over 1,000 new positive cases were recorded in seventy-two hours in the region and the test positivity rate rose to 4.4%, from less than 2% before Christmas. This increase is currently only valid in Morbihan and especially in Ille-et-Vilaine, where the incidence rate is 153 per 100,000 inhabitants. The Côtes d’Armor and Finistère remain the two least affected French departments. This renewed activity is accompanied by an increase in the number of hospitalizations in the region, including in intensive care. Less than 1% of positive cases in Brittany would carry the variant according to the estimates of the health authorities.
