COVID-19 Acceleration and Vaccine Status in France - Summer 2021

Objectives This note provides an assessment of COVID-19 acceleration among groups with different vaccine status in France. Methods We assess viral acceleration using a novel indicator introduced in Baunez et al. (2021). The acceleration index relates the percentage change of tests that have been performed on a given day to the percentage change in the associated positive cases that same day. We compare viral acceleration among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in France over the period May 31st - August 29, 2021. Results Once the state of the epidemic within each groups is accounted for, it turns out that viral acceleration has since mid-July converged to similar levels among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in France, even though viral speed is larger for the latter group compared to the former. Conclusion Our results call for an increasing testing effort for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, in view of the fact that viral circulation is currently accelerating at similar levels for both groups in France.