The Covid does not take a vacation in Occitania. In this region, new hospitalizations due to covid have tripled in 15 days, alert on July 23 theRegional health agency (ARS). It is the situation of the whole region which “continues to degrade rapidly“, warns the agency in a press release.

Three times more intensive care admissions

“The health impact is now proven“, underlines the ARS,”both for conventional hospitalizations (90 per week against 30 per week 15 days ago) and for intensive care (30 per week against less than 10 per week 15 days ago)“.

Regarding the incidence rate, it has increased “very significant“in Occitania over the past seven days, going from 74 per 100,000 inhabitants to 228 per 100,000 inhabitants on a regional average, or four times more than the alert threshold set at 50.

To read also: MAP. Holidays and Covid: the virus is spreading in tourist regions

20-29 year olds first, then over 65s

According to the ARS, it is the youngest populations who are most affected by the current epidemic. So, “the incidence rate among 20-29 year olds is currently 651 per 100,000, an increase of 168% in one week and a level equivalent to 13 times the alert threshold“, insists the ARS Occitanie.

But “the momentum has started for the older age groups. The increase is more than 200% in one week for the population aged over 65“, she notes.

Several cities put on the mask

At the origin of the contaminations: festive events, reveals the ARS, which calls on the populations to respect the barrier gestures, to wear the mask and to be vaccinated. The Delta variant, the proximity to Spain and the presence of many tourists in the region also explain this outbreak.

Several cities and departments in the Occitanie region have also decided this week to reinstate the obligation to wear a mask outdoors in an attempt to fight against the increase in cases. Among them: Toulouse and Montpellier, the two French metropolises with the highest incidence rate.

On July 22, the Pyrénées-Orientales, a department with the highest incidence level in mainland France, also decided to keep the obligation to wear a mask in places subject to the health pass.

Figures on the rise throughout France

But Occitanie is not the only region affected by an increase in cases and hospitalizations. Across France, the hospitalization rate is up 55% over the week of July 12 to 18 and the number of patients admitted to critical care services up 35%, warns the health agency. public France in its July 22 weekly update. A situation that had not been encountered “for 15 weeks“, worries the health agency.