Summary

In week 37 (September 7–13, 2020), total activity at SOS Médecins clinics rose sharply among children (+65%, or +11,701 visits) and, to a lesser extent, among those aged 15–74 (+7%, or +2,856 visits). For the fifth consecutive week, medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 rose by 74% in Week 37. In total, 7,262 procedures were recorded in Week 37 (vs. 4,185 procedures in Week 36, or +3,077 procedures). This increase affects all age groups: primarily children (+132%, or +1,177 cases, of which 1,146 were among those aged 2–14), but also adults aged 15–74 (+58%, or +1,816 cases) and those aged 75 and older (+71%, or +72 cases). The share of total activity across all ages rose to 9.5% (vs. 6.6% in week 36). This increase was observed in all regions without exception. It ranged from +22% in Martinique to +138%
(+137 procedures) in Centre-Val de Loire. The regions of Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, and Hauts-de-France are the regions with the highest number of procedures (accounting for 20%, 14%, 13%, 10%, and 10% of procedures recorded nationally, respectively). Since the start of surveillance, 91,688 procedures for suspected COVID-19 have been performed. Among other conditions, there has been a sharp increase in indicators for respiratory conditions (bronchitis and asthma attacks) and ENT conditions across all age groups (except those over 75), particularly
pronounced among children aged 0 to 14: bronchitis (+158%), back-to-school asthma peak (+125% among 2- to 14-year-olds, +91% among children under 2), ENT infections (+93%), bronchiolitis among children under 2 (+137%). Also noteworthy among children is an increase in cases of allergies (+48%), viral syndrome (+53% among 2- to 14-year-olds), and acute abdominal pain (+44% among 2- to 14-year-olds).