Key Points

• In Week 37 at the regional level, COVID-19 syndromic surveillance indicators related to emergency care visits were declining in hospitals (Oscour® network emergency facilities) as well as in private practice (SOS Médecins associations).

• Virological indicators continued to decline in all departments of the region, with incidence rates still above 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 8 of the 13 departments (Aveyron, Gers, Lot, Lozère, and Tarn were below this threshold). The L452R mutation was detected in 88% of positive samples screened for this mutation.

• Weekly numbers of new hospital admissions were decreasing in the region for week 37, as was the number of new cases in critical care units.

• Estimates of the effective reproduction number (R_e) as of September 18 for Occitanie were significantly below 1 according to SI-DEP, OSCOUR®, and SI-VIC.

• Regarding all-cause mortality data, the weekly number of deaths observed regionally in week 36 remained, for all ages and among those over 65, significantly above expected values. The number of hospital deaths in week 37 was decreasing compared to week 35.

• Overall, in week 37 for the Occitanie region, a continued decline in viral circulation was observed across all departments, with incidence levels of confirmed cases remaining high. COVID-19 hospital activity was decreasing at the regional level for new hospitalizations and in critical care units. The pressure on healthcare facilities from COVID-19 has been declining significantly for several consecutive weeks. The number of hospital deaths was decreasing in week 37, while the number of deaths from all causes was higher than expected among those aged 65 and older.