Key Points

• Among the 0-17 age group, SARS-CoV-2 circulation is declining. In week 2022-S19, incidence rates across the different age groups were consistent and lower than those observed among adults.

• Vaccination coverage is high among 12- to 17-year-olds (82.6% had received their full primary vaccination series and 16.4% a booster, as of May 16, 2022) and remains low among 5- to 9-year-olds and 10- to 11-year-olds (2.6% and 7.9%, respectively, with a complete primary vaccination series, as of April 11, 2022).

• The number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 has been declining since week 2022-S14, with a trend toward stabilization since week 2022-S17.

• Data from the PICURe network and the PANDOR study do not show any change in the severity of hospitalized cases. The proportion of children with comorbidities among those admitted to intensive care units for acute COVID-19 was higher during the Omicron wave than during the Delta wave.

• As of May 8, 2022, and since the start of the epidemic, 69% of the 1,028 cases of PIMS (pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome secondary to COVID-19), primarily affecting children aged 3 to 11, were hospitalized in intensive care or continuous care units. 27% of the cases observed occurred during the fifth wave, which began for PIMS in calendar week 2021-S46.

• After a decrease of nearly six percentage points between February 14, 2022, and March 14, 2022, the proportion of Level 3 critical care beds occupied by newborns born with SARS-CoV-2 infection has stabilized at around 10% since mid-March 2022.