Key Points

SARS-CoV-2 circulation continued to decline in week 2022-12. For two consecutive weeks, incidence and positivity rates have been decreasing, against a backdrop of declining testing rates. The 15–44 age group recorded the highest incidence. The effective reproduction number (R_e) calculated for samples collected between March 20 and 26, 2022, was 0.60 [0.58–0.62], significantly below 1, confirming a decline in the epidemic over this seven-day rolling period. In hospitals, COVID-19 activity in adult and
pediatric emergency departments was decreasing. The number of new hospitalizations across all departments was also decreasing, while activity in critical care units was low and stable during week 2022-12.