Key Points

COVID-19

• In Week 28, SARS-CoV-2 viral circulation appears to be stabilizing in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The adjusted regional incidence rate has decreased by 9% but remains high, at 1,060 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

• With 877 hospitalizations for COVID-19 recorded in Week 28, the number of new hospitalizations has decreased by 12% over the past week. However, the total number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 has increased by 17%, with 2,031 patients hospitalized in the region as of July 19. In Week 27, hospitalizations in acute care settings are decreasing, but the number of cases is increasing.

Monkeypox

• In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as of July 20 at 5:00 p.m., 132 confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox had been investigated in the region, including 94 (71%) cases in the Rhône department.

Chikungunya, dengue, Zika

• Number of imported dengue cases: 7

• Number of imported chikungunya cases: 1

Heatwave

• Since July 12, 2022, amid a heat wave, Météo-France has placed up to 9 departments in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes under an orange alert (Ain, Ardèche, Cantal, Drôme, Isère, Haute-Loire, Rhône, Savoie, and Haute-Savoie, representing 77.8% of the region’s resident population) and 3 departments under a yellow alert (Allier, Loire, and Puy-de-Dôme, representing 22.2% of the region’s resident population).

• Between July 12, 2022, and July 19, 2022, the proportion of SOS Médecins calls for heat-related conditions ranged from 0.1% to 1.2% across the entire region. Of these cases, 35% involved people aged 75 and older, and 36% involved children under 15. In contrast to the June heatwave, adults aged 15 to 74 accounted for only 29% of visits.

• During the same period, the proportion of heat-related medical consultations recorded in emergency departments ranged from 0.3% to 0.9% across the region. Of these consultations, 53% involved people aged 75 and older, and 13% involved children under 15. Adults aged 15 to 74 accounted for 34% of these visits. Hospitalizations accounted for 60% of heat-related consultations. Of those aged 75 and older who visited emergency departments for heat-related conditions, 72% were hospitalized.

• As a reminder, these indicators alone do not fully capture the impact of extreme heat on health. Compared to 2018 and 2019 (the most recent years marked by a significant health impact from heat waves), it appears that the health impact of this heat wave is significant in the region’s emergency departments and SOS Médecins associations, though it has not yet exceeded the peak reached in 2019. However, we must remain vigilant, as this heatwave is particularly long and is not yet over.