For the first time in France, the flu will kill more people than Covid-19

Published: February 6, 2024 at 2:34 p.m.

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This will be a first in France since 2022 and the arrival of the coronavirus. According to Public Health France (SPF), the flu epidemic continued between January 22 and 28, 2024. “ All indicators were up sharply in community medicine and hospitals in all age groups and particularly hospitalizations after going to the emergency room among 15-64 year olds. ”, we can read in a press release published on January 31.

At the same time, “ all Covid-19 indicators continued to decline “. Still according to SPF, “ positivity rates have decreased in cities and hospitals, as have syndromic indicators in almost all age groups, with stabilization at a low level for children “. Detection of the Sars-CoV-2 virus was also decreasing in wastewater.

The curves will cross

A national situation confirmed in Hauts-de-France. “ The number of new severe cases of Covid-19 reported (in Hauts-de-France) is generally stable over time while severe cases of flu have been increasing since the second half of December », indicated the health authorities on January 25.

Consequently, as spotted by Le Parisien journalist Nicolas Berrod on, the mortality curves of these two diseases should cross in the coming days, if they have not already done so. Between January 22 and 28, out of 6,398 deaths declared by electronic certificate, “ 2.6% were with a mention of influenza as a morbid condition having directly caused or contributed to the death » compared to 1.7% the previous week.

As for Covid-19, it was mentioned “ in 2.8% of deaths » against 3.2% seven days earlier. Not since the arrival of Covid-19 in early 2020 have these rates been so close.

The Covid-19 epidemic officially killed 167,642 people in France between May 2022 and June 30, 2023, latest update from Public Health France. The flu kills around 10,000 people in France each year.

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