Key Points

• The circulation of SARS-CoV-2 has intensified since late October 2021 among the 0-17 age group as well as in the rest of the population, before showing a decline since mid-January 2022 (S03).

• Children and adolescents aged 0–17, who account for 21.5% of the French population, represent 9% of the 65,737 COVID-19 patients hospitalized since early 2022.

• As with adults, hospitalizations in general wards, critical care, and intensive care units increased among children aged 0–17 starting in early December 2021, particularly among infants under one year of age. A marked decline in the number of hospitalized cases has been observed since week 2022-05 (early February).

• Relative to symptomatic pediatric cases, the proportion of pediatric hospitalizations was 1.4% during the last wave when the Delta variant was the only one circulating (2021-S22 to S40 – 100,658 symptomatic cases), compared to 0.4% starting in week 2021-S41 (emergence of the Omicron variant – 1,856,200 symptomatic cases).

• The proportion of suspected Omicron variant cases among those hospitalized for COVID-19 has continued to rise since week 2021-S50 across all age groups, and this increase has been more rapid among those under 18, particularly those aged 12–17.

• As of February 13, 2022, 70% of the 918 cases of PIMS (pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome secondary to COVID-19), affecting mainly children aged 3 to 11, were hospitalized in intensive care or in a continuous care unit. The recent decline in PIMS cases has not yet been confirmed, and it is premature to conclude that the Omicron variant has a lesser impact.