Key Points

COVID-19

In the Pays de la Loire region, after several weeks of declining indicators, SARS-CoV-2 transmission began to rise again in Week 10, with new hospitalizations stabilizing.

In Week 10, the regional incidence rate, after stabilizing at a high level, increased by 26% to reach 661 per 100,000 inhabitants. This increase was observed across all age groups, particularly among people aged 45 to 75. Testing and positivity rates followed the same trend in Week 10. The increase in the testing rate affected all age groups.

In terms of healthcare utilization, SOS Médecins calls for suspected COVID-19 cases began to rise slightly again in Week 10, while the number of emergency department visits remained stable. In hospitals, the number of new hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients at the regional level stabilized in Week 10 at a relatively high level. The number of new admissions to intensive care and the number of in-hospital deaths remained stable.

At the departmental level, in Week 10, incidence rates were rising in all departments, with the highest rate observed in Vendée. The number of new hospitalizations was stable in Loire-Atlantique, Sarthe, and Mayenne, while it increased in Maine-et-Loire and decreased in Vendée.

Regarding vaccination coverage, the number of booster doses administered is stable and covers 63% of the regional
population. Age-based disparities tend to Regarding vaccination coverage, the number of booster doses administered is stable and covers 63% of the regional population. Age-based disparities are tending to even out among adults, with rates ranging from 71% among those aged 18–49 to 92% among those aged 65–74.

Influenza and Influenza-Like Illness

The Pays de la Loire region has been in the flu epidemic phase since S09, marking the second consecutive week. A continued sharp rise in indicators of healthcare utilization for influenza-like illnesses (emergency department visits and SOS Médecins calls) and in reported influenza A isolations from the Nantes and Angers university hospitals was observed in Week 10. Nationally, co-circulation of the A(H1N1)pdm09 and A(H3N2) viruses is reported. Five severe cases of influenza were hospitalized in critical care units in Week 10. The number of outbreaks of acute respiratory infections (excluding COVID-19) in nursing homes remains low, with 3 new outbreaks occurring in Weeks 9 and 10, including one confirmed influenza-related outbreak in Week 9.

Acute Gastroenteritis

Very high levels of healthcare utilization for acute gastroenteritis continue to be observed in week 10 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.