Summary

In week 13 (March 29–April 4, 2021), the number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations following such visits increased among children under 2 years of age (+6%, or +1,310 visits, and +5%, or +175 hospitalizations) and adults aged 15 and older (+3%, or +6,752 visits, and +2%, or +878 hospitalizations among those aged 15–74).

In Week 13, visits for suspected COVID-19 across all age groups continued to rise (12,776 vs. 11,810 visits in Week 12; an increase of 8%). Their share of total activity remained stable at 4.5% (vs. 4.2% in Week 12). By age group, these visits are increasing among those aged 15–74 (+10%, or +907 visits) and those aged 75 and older (+4%, or +91 visits), while they are decreasing among children (-11%, or -33 visits). Suspected COVID-19 is the second most common diagnosis among those aged 15–74 and the third most common among those aged 75 and older. The proportion of hospitalizations following a visit, across all age groups, remains stable at 54%. At the regional level, visits for suspected COVID-19 are on the rise in nearly all regions except Brittany, Corsica, Hauts-de-France, and Pays-de-la-Loire. The most significant increases were observed in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (+21%, or +293 visits), PACA (+14%, or +191 visits), Grand-Est (+12%, or +113 visits), Normandy (+23%, or +80 visits), and Nouvelle-Aquitaine (+14%, or +73 visits). In the French overseas departments, visits increased in Guadeloupe (+31%, or +18 visits) and French Guiana (+70%, or +14 visits). Since monitoring began on February 24, 2020, 431,108 emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded.

Among other conditions, increases were observed across all age groups for asthma (+14%, or +191 visits among 2- to 14-year-olds, and +50%, or +318 visits among 15- to 74-year-olds), gastroenteritis (+8%, or 298 more visits), conjunctivitis (+16%, or 122 more cases), and acute bronchitis (+17%, or 59 more visits among children, and +12%, or 36 more visits among those aged 15–74). Among children under 2 years of age, the increase in visits and hospitalizations for bronchiolitis continues, though at a less pronounced rate than in previous weeks (+9% and +6%, respectively), accounting for 12% of total activity for this age group in Week 13. There is also a 30% increase in urinary tract infections among children under 2 years of age and an increase in visits for cough among those under 15 years of age (+23%, or +194 visits).