Key Points

COVID-19

Epidemic pressure indicators show a sharp increase in viral circulation that is continuing this week. In intensive care, although the number of new cases remains stable, the number of beds occupied by COVID-19 patients on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, was higher than on the same day the previous week. This increase should be monitored and also considered in light of reduced staffing levels during this end-of-year period. Unvaccinated individuals continue to be the most affected by severe cases.

The Delta variant remains the dominant strain on the island. However, an increasing number of Omicron variant cases are being sequenced; while imported cases are mostly identified, it is important to note that the number of locally transmitted cases is also on the rise. It is certain that the Omicron variant is already circulating on the island; even though the increase in new confirmed Omicron cases is not very significant, a further intensification of viral circulation linked to this variant is possible in the coming weeks. Thus, the Omicron variant, whose higher transmissibility has now been demonstrated, calls for the utmost vigilance, particularly in the context of gatherings during the holiday season. It is essential to combine efforts to continue vaccination measures (flu and COVID-19) with strict adherence to preventive measures.

Bronchiolitis

Reunion Island has returned to normal levels for surveillance indicators.

Flu

In Réunion, the number of emergency department visits for flu-like illness increased in week 50, with the majority of cases involving children under 15 years of age. No hospitalizations were reported in week 50. No severe cases have been admitted to intensive care over the past 4 weeks. In primary care, the number of consultations for acute respiratory infections (ARI) reported by the sentinel physician network has remained at a high level for the past four weeks, indicating community circulation of respiratory viruses. Virological surveillance conducted by the sentinel physician network has identified positive cases of influenza A(H3N2), as has hospital-based virological surveillance. In the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, and given the relative stability of influenza-like illness indicators combined with the absence of a significant health impact in terms of severity, Réunion remains in the pre-epidemic phase.