Summary

In week 43 (October 19–25, 2020), total activity at SOS Médecins clinics declined among children (-19%, or 3,312 fewer visits), remained stable among those aged 15–74, and increased among those aged 75 and older (+11%, or 777 more visits). In Week 43, among adults, for the third consecutive week, the increase in medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 continued and intensified: 4,111 procedures in Week 40, 4,599 in Week 41 (a 12% increase), 5,430 in W42 (an increase of 18%), and 6,946 in W43 (an increase of 28%). This increase is particularly pronounced among those aged 45–74 (+42%, or +631 procedures—data not shown) and those aged 75 and older (+73%, or +193 procedures) compared to those aged 15–44 (+19%, or +692 procedures). Suspected COVID-19 is the most common diagnosis among those aged 15–74, and the second most common diagnosis among those aged 75 and older. Among children, medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 have continued to decline over the past 4 weeks (-31%, or -182 procedures compared to week 42). In total, 7,420 procedures were recorded in week 43 (vs. 6,080 procedures in week 42, or +22% and +1,340 procedures). The share of total activity across all age groups has risen to 11.7% (vs. 9.3% in week 42). This increase is seen across nearly all regions: Brittany (+72%), Grand-Est (+68%), Pays de la Loire (+41%), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (+40%), PACA (+30%), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (+21%), Normandy (+19%), Martinique (+19%), Centre-Val de Loire (+18%), Occitanie (+17%), Corsica (+16%), and Hauts-de-France (+12%). Since the start of surveillance, 127,526 procedures for suspected COVID-19 have been performed. Among other conditions, there was an increase in procedures for isolated fever in children under 2 years of age (+15%, or +34 procedures) and adults (+16%, or +79 procedures), with activity levels higher than in the previous two years. Among children under 2 years of age, there was an increase in cases involving diarrhea (+48%, or +31 cases) and dental/ENT issues (+21%, or +16 cases). The decline in activity among 2- to 14-year-olds due to school vacations is observed across all major diagnoses reported by the associations. Additionally, there was an increase in cases involving general health deterioration and bronchitis (+22%), falls (+19%), and deaths (+12%) among people aged 75 and older.