Key Points

COVID-19

In the Pays de la Loire region, the decline in SARS-CoV-2 transmission indicators continued in Week 7, marking the third consecutive week of decline. The impact on the healthcare system remained significant but showed signs of improvement.

In Week 7, the regional incidence rate continued to decline, reaching 762 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants, in line with a continued sharp decrease in the testing rate. This decline was observed across all age groups, with the most pronounced decrease among children under 15 years of age. The positivity rate was also declining across all age groups in Week 7. As at the national level, the Omicron variant remained overwhelmingly predominant in the region, with nearly 100% of screenings indicating suspected Omicron cases in Week 7.

In terms of healthcare utilization, SOS Médecins calls for suspected Covid-19 continued to decline in Week 7, as did emergency department visits for the same reason. In hospitals, the number of new Covid-19 hospitalizations reported at the regional level continued to decline in Week 7, while the number of new admissions reported to critical care units remained relatively stable at a high level, as did the number of new reported hospital deaths, which also remained at a high level. In long-term care facilities, the number of new reported cases tended to stabilize, with the number of confirmed cases among residents and staff decreasing but remaining at a very high level, and the number of resident deaths decreasing.

Influenza and influenza-like illness

The Pays de la Loire region has remained in the pre-epidemic phase for influenza since Week 51 of 2021. Regional indicators of healthcare utilization for influenza-like illnesses (emergency department visits and SOS Médecins calls) remain at moderate and stable levels, with no marked increase recorded. A decrease in influenza isolations at the Nantes and Angers university hospitals was observed in Week 07. No severe influenza cases admitted to critical care were reported in Week 07 as part of the 2021/22 seasonal surveillance (17 severe cases reported in total this season). No new clusters of acute respiratory infections (ARI) other than COVID-19 have been reported in the region’s healthcare facilities (including nursing homes) since Week 03.

Acute Gastroenteritis

High levels of healthcare utilization for acute gastroenteritis continue to be observed in Week 7 in the region, with the number of emergency department visits still on the rise, particularly among children under 5 years of age, where a peak significantly higher than those of the two previous seasons during the same period has been recorded.