France - Covid-19 2026

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Public Health France has observed a slight increase in Covid-19 cases nationwide since the start of the academic year.

Covid-19 cases have risen slightly in France since the start of the school year, according to Public Health France, franceinfo reported Wednesday. This resurgence of the virus remains lower than that of the previous four years at the same time.

Article written by Anne Le Gall
Radio France
Published 23/09/2026 17:39

Nationally, the number of Covid-19 cases has been rising slightly since the start of the school year, according to the latest figures published by Public Health France, as reported by franceinfo on Wednesday. Since the beginning of September, the number of consultations at SOS Médecins (a national network of on-call doctors) and the number of hospitalizations related to the virus have also been increasing across all age groups.

Specifically, during the week of September 14-20, SOS Médecins recorded a 76% increase in consultations for suspected Covid-19 nationwide compared to the previous week. SOS Médecins recorded precisely 390 additional consultations, across all age groups.

Regarding emergency room visits related to suspected Covid-19, the Oscour network reports a 16% increase during the week of September 14-20 compared to the previous week for children. For adults, this increase is 67%.

Despite everything, this resurgence of the Covid-19 virus remains lower than that of the previous four years at the same time, according to figures from Public Health France. The current variants do not cause particularly severe symptoms and remain susceptible to the Covid-19 vaccine. Furthermore, the vaccination campaign against this virus will begin in mid-October, at the same time as the flu campaign, and will be primarily aimed at those over 65.

Santé publique France constate une légère augmentation des cas de Covid-19 au niveau national depuis la rentrée

Les cas de Covid-19 sont en légère augmentation en France depuis la rentrée d'après Santé Publique France, annonce franceinfo mercredi. Cette reprise de la circulation du virus reste inférieure à celle des quatre années précédentes à la même période.

www.franceinfo.fr

 

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Covid-19: Infections are rising, with those over 65 most at risk

Jean Forneris
Published on
30/09/2026 at 6:27 PM

Covid-19 cases are rising again in the Île-de-France region, with more medical consultations and hospitalizations. All age groups are affected. Those over 65 are the most at risk.

"We're selling more and more tests compared to the beginning of September, and many of them are positive," notes François Blondeel, a pharmacist in the 5th arrondissement. "People want to know if they have COVID, and it affects all age groups ," adds another pharmacist nearby.

Public Health France confirms this trend. According to the latest data published on September 27, the highly contagious respiratory viral infection, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is currently making a comeback and is continuing an upward trajectory in Île-de-France and nationally.

The increase in SOS Médecins calls, for example, one of the indicators of the epidemic's progression, is particularly significant. However, despite this resurgence, the epidemic situation remains much less severe than that observed at the same time during the previous four years.

Data from Public Health France shows that the current level of virus circulation remains relatively moderate , comparable to the levels observed during the back-to-school periods of 2024 and 2025. However , "we are very far from the waves we saw in 2021, 2022, and even 2023," emphasizes Arnaud Tarantola, regional delegate for Public Health France in Île-de-France. "Until the latest news, the most prevalent variant is the XFG variant , a close relative of Omicron, which has been circulating here for two years now. There is no variant of concern ," he clarifies.

People over 65 at risk

... 2,098 SOS Médecins (a French emergency medical service) calls per 100,000 inhabitants were recorded for suspected COVID-19, compared to 1,673 calls the previous week. Hospitalizations are also following this upward trend, with a high proportion of people over 65. This hospitalized population group has doubled in one week.

" What is certain is that when we have an elderly, frail person with several pathologies, several competing diseases, what we call comorbidities, or people who are smokers or have heart failure, we will tend to hospitalize these patients," explains Arnaud Tarantola.

Emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19, another indicator of the epidemic, affect all age groups. According to the OSCOUR® network , one of the sources of the emergency room health surveillance system, in the category of people over 65, 620 visits for suspected COVID-19 were recorded per 100,000 visits during the last week. Very young children, particularly those under 4 years old, were also affected.

A detection system in wastewater

For the past four years, the epidemic has been even more effectively detected thanks to the SUM'EAU system, which monitors our wastewater. Samples are regularly taken at the inlet of wastewater treatment plants to detect and measure the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19.

Sampling allows us to anticipate peaks in contamination. In its latest bulletin, Public Health France reported an " upward trend in the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater".

"What is sampled does not in any way prejudge the severity of the epidemic. I could very well have an extremely virulent SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater that will overwhelm the emergency room three weeks later. Just as I could have a virus that is ultimately relatively well tolerated with people who are infected, who have some symptoms not serious enough to go to the doctor or the emergency room ," observes the regional delegate of Public Health France Île-de-France.

A vaccination campaign in mid-October

The National Public Health Agency reminds us that "people with risk factors (people aged 65 or over, people with chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, COPD, asthma, diabetes, hypertension, etc.), immunocompromised people) are the most exposed to severe forms"

Hence the advice to take advantage, if you are in this age group, of the autumn vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and the flu, which will be launched on October 13. "The vaccine does not necessarily protect against infection, but it protects very effectively against severe forms ," insists Arnaud Tarantola.

Covid-19 : les contaminations progressent, les plus de 65 ans les plus exposés

La circulation du Covid-19 repart à la hausse en Île-de-France, avec davantage de consultations médicales et d’hospitalisations. Toutes les tranches d'âge sont concernées. Les plus de 65 ans sont les plus exposés.

france3-regions.franceinfo.fr

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Covid-19: The virus is spreading in France; consultations for suspected infection have jumped by 19% in one week.

Published yesterday at 10:27 PM
BFM
LC with AFP

On Wednesday, September 30, Public Health France announced that Covid is back in France, at levels comparable to recent years.

In hospitals and doctors' offices, the return of Covid is increasingly evident in France, at levels so far comparable to previous years, according to data from Public Health France released on Wednesday, September 30.

Since the start of the school year , which promotes the spread of the virus in schools, offices, and public transport, the number of infections is gradually increasing, as illustrated by the circulation of the virus in wastewater and the use of healthcare.

All ages concerned

In all age groups, the use of care related to respiratory pathologies continued to rise during the week of September 21-27, as seen in the activity of hospital and community medicine surveillance networks.

In the emergency department, where the number of visits related to respiratory illnesses is increasing "to levels comparable to previous years", an increase in visits for suspected Covid-19 infection has been noted (+22% over one week, i.e. +114 visits).

At SOS Médecins, respiratory indicators continued to rise, "reaching levels comparable to previous years," according to the latest published report. Consultations for suspected Covid-19 infection across all age groups increased by 19% in one week (173 additional consultations), while those for influenza or flu-like symptoms in adults rose by 26% (719 additional consultations). Among infants, bronchiolitis in children under one year old increased by 12% (an additional 17 consultations).

Vaccination is always protective

Still considered protective against severe forms and the risk of long Covid, vaccination remains recommended, particularly for those most at risk.

The new Covid vaccination campaign, coupled as in previous years with that of the flu, is due to start on October 13, with the exception of Mayotte, where it has been underway since September, and Reunion Island, where it is aligned with that of the southern hemisphere.

In France, neither the elderly and vulnerable nor healthcare professionals are getting vaccinated against the flu sufficiently despite recommendations from health authorities, a trend aggravated by the Covid-19 health crisis, according to a study by Public Health France published in mid-September.


In Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) also observed SARS-CoV-2 activity "slightly increasing in primary care (general practitioners, pharmacists) and slightly decreasing in secondary care" (hospitals, specialists) from September 19 to 25 compared to the previous week.

Covid-19: le virus progresse en France, les consultations pour suspicion d'infection bondissent de 19% en une semaine

Ce mercredi 30 septembre, Santé publique France a annoncé que le Covid est de retour en France, à des niveaux comparables aux dernières années.

www.bfmtv.com