Autumn is here, and with it, the Covid-19 returns. “For three weeks we have seen a resumption of the circulation of the virus” declared the Minister of Health François Braun on Tuesday September 27 on Franceinfo.

“The eighth wave is here” confirmed infectious disease specialist Pierre Tattevin to France 3.

And she could well be fearsome. “The more we advance in the variants of Covid 19, the more they are contagious”, further specifies the doctor to the media.

Since the start of the school year, contamination has increased, due in particular to the start of the school year: moreover, 10-19 year olds were still the most affected by the virus a few days ago, even if the incidence rate is increasing among all age categories.

On September 24, 2022, the incidence rate, reported by Santé Publique France, stood at 358 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the reproduction rate R at 1.28. This means that a positive person will infect in turn and on average 1.28 others.

In some departments of France, the situation is particularly worrying: the incidence rate is rising well above the national average. In our slideshow, discover the 14 of them where the contaminations are the most numerous at the moment.

Faced with this new surge in cases, the government made several announcements this week.

Tuesday, September 27, the Minister of Health François Braun urged the French to “take back common sense”, that is to say, to put the mask back on “when we are on top of each other” and “when we are with a very fragile person”.

In addition, three new bivalent vaccines, adapted to the Omicron variant, have just been validated by the Haute Autorité de Santé. A booster vaccination campaign is planned for October 3.

It is aimed primarily at fragile people and those over 60, but will be open to everyone, said the minister.