Key Points

COVID-19

After declining from Week 04 to Week 09, the incidence rate rose slightly for the second consecutive week (Weeks 10 and 11). The positivity rate also began to rise again. However, new hospital admissions and admissions to critical care units continued to decline in Week 11. The number of weekly deaths recorded in Réunion was also down in Week 11. No excess mortality has been observed since Week 08. Regarding the Omicron variant (100% of sequences interpretable since W06), the BA.2 sublineage has continued to increase since W06, accounting for the majority (53%) of Omicron sublineages in W08.

Bronchiolitis

Emergency department visits for bronchiolitis were on the rise in Week 11 (n=87 vs. 68 in Week 10). The number of hospitalizations following an emergency department visit was also on the rise in Week 11 (n=40 vs. 34 in Week 10). After three weeks of exceeding the defined thresholds, Réunion entered the epidemic phase for bronchiolitis. Hospital virological surveillance confirms the circulation of RSV types A and B.

Influenza

Surveillance indicators were at baseline levels in Week 11. The number of emergency department visits in Week 11 (n=7) was stable compared to Week 10 (n=6). Hospital virological surveillance did not identify any influenza-positive biological samples in February 2022.