Key Points

COVID-19

In Occitanie, according to data available as of April 28, 2022, for week 16 of 2022, virological indicators were down compared to the previous week: a positivity rate of 28.2% (versus 33.1% in week 15, a decrease of 4.9 percentage points), incidence rate of 836 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (compared to 1,270 in week 15, a decrease of 34.2%) and testing rate of 2,969 per 100,000 inhabitants (compared to 3,835 in week 15, a decrease of 23%) (Table 2, Figure 8). At the regional level, this trend was observed across all age groups.

The effective reproduction number (R) estimated from regional SI-DEP data through April 23, 2022, was 0.77 (0.76–0.78), down from the previous week (0.95).

At the departmental level, an incidence rate exceeding 700 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was estimated for week 16 of 2022 across all departments in the region, with the highest rate estimated for Aude (956 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) (Table 2). Virological indicators were declining in all departments of the region, with incidence indicators decreasing more sharply than testing rates.

Overall, in week 16 of 2022, a decrease in virological indicators was observed in all departments of Occitanie, and this trend appears to be more closely linked to a decline in viral circulation than to a reduction in testing practices.

Influenza and Influenza-Like Illness

The region has been in an epidemic phase for 19 weeks. Following an initial wave in late December followed by a high plateau, a second epidemic wave has been underway since mid-March, peaking in late March/early April.

Acute gastroenteritis

• Oscour® network: Gastroenteritis activity was moderate in week 16 of 2022. Visits across all age groups for a diagnosis of gastroenteritis were down compared to the previous week, following the same trend as in previous weeks. In week 16 of 2022, 420 visits for gastroenteritis were recorded (including 206 cases in children under 5), representing 1.4% of all visits (compared to 470 visits in week 15, including 254 in children under 5).

• SOS Médecins: Gastroenteritis activity was low in week 16 of 2022. Procedures for all ages involving a diagnosis of gastroenteritis showed a slight increase compared to the previous week. In week 16 of 2022, 158 consultations for this diagnosis were recorded (including 40 involving patients under 5 years of age), representing 6.9% of the overall activity of the SOS Médecins associations (120 consultations in week 15 of 2022, including 29 involving patients under 5 years of age).

• According to the Sentinelles network, the incidence rate of acute diarrhea cases seen in general practice was 60 per 100,000 [29; 91], stable compared to the previous week (57 per 100,000).