Monaco’s official statisticians IMSEE have released the latest Covid-19 picture for the year so far, revealing that more people have been infected in 2022 than the two previous years combined and that infection rates have dropped significantly since their winter peak in late January.

Covid barely registers on the radar of most people these days as lockdowns and quarantines seem like bad dreams, and the infection rates are coming down to manageable and reasonable levels.

That being said, there are still some interesting facts in the latest report by IMSEE that may be a bit surprising.

As of 30th April, the total number of infected residents since the beginning of the pandemic was 11,770, equalling 28.3% of the population. 688 of those were infected twice and 507 were hospitalised, with 61 needing intensive care.

The death toll sits at 57, with the average age of patients being 84.5 years of age. This was split closely between men, at 83.4 years, and women at 85.7 years. Over two-thirds of the deceased were 80 years or older and 14 were Monegasque nationals.

It is interesting to note that by the end of April 2022, there were 6,603 total new cases compared to 5,167 in all of 2020 and 2021 combined. Additionally, at the most current checks, hospital admissions sat at 185 so far in 2022, almost double that of 2020 when there were 81 but less than 2021’s 241. The death toll is, however, less than in 2021, with 19 so far in 2022 compared to 35 the previous year.

The average age of those getting infected dropped from 46.2 years in 2020 to 39.7 years in 2021 and 39.1 years of age in 2022.

Perhaps also surprising are the number of cases reported amongst the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated who caught the virus. In April, 344 unvaccinated people were infected with Covid-19, which equates to 34% of the total new cases for the month. There were only nine partially vaccinated people who contracted the disease, but then the numbers go up again. 133 fully vaccinated residents, representing 13.1% of the total number in April, and 526 fully vaccinated people with boosters tested positive, equalling 52%.

Hospital admissions in April were up from the previous month, 36 to 29, and both months saw three new deaths. Of those hospitalised, six were unvaccinated, six were fully jabbed and 24 had received a booster. The vast majority were 80 years and older, and there have been no people under 40 in intensive care in 2022 so far.

In March, the sixth wave rolled through the region, less than two months after the previous one. The last wave was far smaller than the previous, but is still notable as the second most virulent period since the start of the pandemic. By the end of April, the incidence rate in Monaco fell to 424.

Photo by Maxime on Usplash