Key Points

• In week 2022-S47, among those aged 0–17, the highest incidence (435 per 100,000) was observed among 15–17-year-olds. Positivity rates were increasing in all school-age groups, except among children under six.

• As of November 28, 2022, 81.0% of 12- to 17-year-olds had received a complete primary vaccination series and 18.0% had received a booster dose. This vaccination coverage has changed very little (80.3% and 15.3%, respectively, at the end of March 2022) and remains low among 5- to 9-year-olds and 10- to 11-year-olds (2.8% and 8.4%, respectively, with a complete primary vaccination series).

• The number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 has been rising slightly since week 2022-S45. In week 2022-S47, children under one year of age accounted for 70% of all hospitalizations among 0- to 17-year-olds and 84% of admissions to critical care units. The proportion of children under one year of age among all hospitalizations and in critical care units has been, since week 2022-S43, the highest since the start of this surveillance.

• Data from the PICURe network do not show any change in the severity of cases hospitalized in critical care units. The proportion of children with comorbidities among those admitted for COVID-19 has been higher since the Omicron variant began circulating than it was during the Delta variant period.

• As of September 18, 2022, and since the start of the epidemic, 1,081 cases of PIMS (pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome secondary to COVID-19) have been reported. Since the last week of July (2002-S30), the number of reported cases has been 0 to 2 per week. It was more than 25 per week during the main peaks.