Summary

In week 43 (October 19–25, 2020), emergency department visits and subsequent hospitalizations declined among children (down 17.9%, or 11,442 visits, and down 6.4%, or 405 hospitalizations) and remained stable among adults. In Week 43, among adults, for the third consecutive week, the increase in visits due to suspected COVID-19 continued and intensified: 4,571 visits in Week 40, 5,717 in Week 41 (a 25% increase), 7,816 in W42 (a 37% increase), and 11,409 in W43 (a 46% increase). A sharp increase was observed among those aged 75 and older (a 61% increase in W43 vs. a 52% increase in W42), with this group accounting for 7% of total activity. Suspected COVID-19 is the third most common diagnosis among adults. Among children, there was a decrease in emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 (-19%, or -34 visits). In total, 11,554 visits were recorded in week 43 (vs. 7,993 visits in week 42—consolidated data as of 10/27/2020). The share of visits for COVID-19 in total activity and the proportion of hospitalizations following a visit across all age groups are on the rise (+5% and 46% vs. 3% and 45% in week 42). All metropolitan regions are contributing to this increase. The most significant increases are observed in Nouvelle-Aquitaine (+83%), Grand-Est (+59%), Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (+52%), and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (+51%). With the exception of French Guiana (up 150%, or 6 visits), the overseas regions are stable or declining. Since monitoring began on February 24, 2020, 241,590 emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded. Among other conditions, there has been an increase in visits for isolated fever among children under 2 years of age (+15%, or +184 visits) and adults (+11%, or +140 visits), with activity levels higher than in the previous two years. Among children under 2 years of age, there was an increase in visits for abdominal pain (+14%, or +63 visits) and ENT infections (+11%, or +323 cases). The decrease in activity among 2- to 14-year-olds due to school vacations was observed across all major diagnoses made in the emergency department, with the exception of foreign bodies (+11%, or +55 visits). Finally, there was an increase in visits for dyspnea (+12%) and pneumonia (+7%) among people aged 75 and older.