Key points

Bronchiolitis

• Activity at SOS Médecins clinics related to bronchiolitis has decreased slightly this week (7.1% vs. 8.6% in Week 1), but levels have remained high over the past two weeks.

• Emergency department activity continues to rise but remains lower than that observed during the previous two seasons.

• Increase in RSV positivity.

• Surveillance of severe cases of bronchiolitis (< 2 years) admitted to pediatric intensive care began in week 40. Five cases of bronchiolitis have been reported.

Influenza

• Influenza-related activity reported by SOS Médecins is low and close to the levels observed during this period in the previous season.

• Influenza-related activity in emergency departments is increasing slightly but remains low and close to the levels seen during the same period in the two previous seasons.

• Surveillance of severe influenza cases (all ages) admitted to intensive care began in week 40. Two severe cases of influenza have been reported.

COVID-19

• The proportion of cases handled by SOS Médecins for suspected COVID-19 is decreasing and remains low (0.6% compared to 1.0% in Week 1)

• Emergency department activity remains low (0.3% compared to 0.4% in Week 1).

• Surveillance of severe COVID-19 cases (all ages) admitted to intensive care began in week 40. A total of 23 severe COVID-19 cases were reported. A case description will be published in this bulletin during the surveillance period.

Acute Respiratory Infections

• The majority of ARI episodes reported since Week 36 by long-term care facilities (LTCFs) were attributed exclusively to COVID-19: 119 out of the 146 reported episodes. The number of new episodes has been low since week 42 (mid-October); no episodes attributed exclusively to COVID-19 were reported in week 47. One episode attributed exclusively to influenza and one episode exclusively to RSV were identified in week 47. Additionally, three episodes involving COVID-19/influenza co-infection were identified during this same period.

• The number of reports of cluster cases is lower than that recorded during the same period last year.

Acute gastroenteritis

• Activity at SOS Médecins clinics and emergency departments for acute gastroenteritis remains within the ranges typically observed during this same period.