A recent article in the daily newspaper Le Monde reported excess mortality of 63% compared with the same week a year earlier.
Surprisingly, the same article states that between March 1st and April 2, Val-de-Marne recorded more Covid deaths than neighboring Seine-Saint-Denis, despite having a smaller population. More generally, other sources tell us that both the number of deaths from the disease per 100,000 inhabitants and the number of hospitalizations are lower there than in the other departments in the inner suburbs, including Paris. Spot the mistake!
A glance at Department 93's mortality rate shows that in 2019 it was 5.4‰, the lowest in France, where the average was 9.2‰. Thus, a 63% excess produces fewer deaths in absolute terms than a 30% excess applied to a mortality rate of 12‰.

Seine-Saint-Denis: higher excess mortality, lower mortality.

These observations are not intended to prove that "everything is fine" in Seine-Saint-Denis, but to show that the eagerness to conclude that "everything is going wrong" in the department stems above all from a penchant for portraying it as a place of misery—something its residents could gladly do without. Assessing whether its excess mortality relative to the average is cause for concern would require a more detailed study, including an analysis of deaths by age group, from which useful conclusions could be drawn for reshaping local health policy.