Key Points

COVID-19

• In the Pays de la Loire region, the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continued to stabilize in Week 51, for the third consecutive week. Most epidemiological indicators remain at high levels.

• All virological indicators changed in week 51, in line with the sharp increase in testing rates ahead of the year-end holidays: the incidence rate rose slightly, while the positivity rate decreased. However, these trends are primarily due to a sharp increase in testing among asymptomatic individuals, a group in which the positivity rate is typically lower than among symptomatic individuals. Specifically, viral circulation appears stable in recent weeks, and people aged 75 and older continue to have the highest indicators.

• The weekly number of reported clusters is once again on the rise in Week 51 compared to Week 50, with nursing homes for dependent elderly individuals (Ehpad) still accounting for the largest proportion. However, a decrease in the weekly number of reported Covid-19 cases in ESMS/EHPADs was observed in Week 50, remaining at a moderate level (data for Week 51 is currently being consolidated).

• In urban areas, the number of SOS Médecins calls for suspected COVID-19 increased slightly in Week 51 compared to Week 50, while the number of emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 in hospitals remained stable in Week 51. The weekly number of new hospitalizations of Covid-19 patients and the number of new ICU admissions of Covid-19 patients increased slightly in Week 51, remaining at a high level, particularly for new hospitalizations.

• Finally, a significant excess of all-cause mortality across all age groups was observed in Week 50 in the region, particularly among people aged 65 and older.

Bronchiolitis

• The Pays de la Loire region is not currently experiencing an epidemic of bronchiolitis among children under two years of age. SOS Médecins calls and emergency room visits for bronchiolitis among children under two years of age remain at a low level, and to date, no active circulation of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis epidemics, has been observed in the region.