Interim COVID-19 Epidemiological Update for November 5: Hospital Indicators on the Rise

CP_pe_covid_051120.pdf

Published on 6 November 2020

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Santé publique France
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Stéphanie Champion: 01 41 79 67 48
Marie Delibéros: 01 41 79 69 61
Camille Le Hyaric: 01 41 79 68 64

Published weekly, the epidemiological update on COVID-19 surveillance provides a detailed analysis of the various indicators established by Santé publique France and its network of partners to track the progression of the epidemic and guide public policy decisions. Monitoring of indicators tracking the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in France highlights a rise in hospital indicators, with consequences for the healthcare system. The utmost vigilance must be maintained regarding older adults, who are at higher risk of COVID-19 complications.

Note: The epidemiological update for November 5 is a version that includes consolidated data for all epidemic monitoring indicators, with the exception of indicators derived from SI-DEP surveillance data (reports of diagnostic tests conducted by clinical laboratories), which are underestimated due to difficulties encountered in data reporting since October 28. This issue is currently being resolved with the relevant stakeholders, and an update to these data will be provided as soon as possible.

Increase in all hospital indicators

Hospitalization data reflect the most severe forms of the disease. On November 3, 2020, 26,265 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in mainland France, including 3,878 in intensive care.

Nationally, the weekly number of new hospitalizations for COVID-19 increased by 43% in week 44, with 17,450 new hospitalizations compared to 12,176 in week 43.

The number of new intensive care admissions also rose by 43%, with 2,605 admissions in week 44 versus 1,816 in week 43. Furthermore, 65% of intensive care admissions involved people aged 65 and older, and 88% had underlying health conditions.

Rising Death Toll

The number of deaths during hospitalization and in social and medical-social care facilities (ESMS) linked to COVID-19 continues to rise, with 2,242 deaths recorded in week 44 (compared to 1,550 deaths in week 43, +45%).

The increase in the number of COVID-19 cases observed among nursing home residents suggests a very likely continued rise in deaths in the coming weeks.

The COVID-19 epidemic remains at a very high level. On November 4, available data indicated at least 40,558 new cases. Attention must therefore remain focused on protecting the healthcare system and strictly enforcing all measures (isolation and rapid testing of symptomatic individuals) and preventive measures.

An epidemic under constant monitoring thanks to multiple indicators

Santé publique France produces a wide range of complementary indicators that allow for the most accurate tracking of the dynamics and progression of the epidemic. The information received is verified and analyzed daily.
Since October 28, instability has been observed in the data received daily from the SI-DEP surveillance system. A collective verification effort has been launched across the entire data transmission chain, from the clinical laboratory to Santé publique France. These verifications revealed a failure in the reporting of test results.

This IT glitch in data transmission did not result in any loss of results for patients, contact tracing, or epidemic monitoring. The only temporary consequence of this incident is the underestimation of indicators based on SI-DEP data. The reporting failures do not affect all other data sources and indicators (such as the number of deaths or hospitalizations) produced by the agency. This issue is currently being resolved with the relevant stakeholders, and a consolidation and update of this data will be carried out as soon as possible.

Thanks to the complementary nature of its surveillance systems, Santé publique France maintains its daily capacity to produce indicators that track the dynamics of the epidemic and assess its progression.