Key Points

COVID-19

In the Pays de la Loire region, the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which had been rising since Week 10, showed a trend toward stabilization in Week 14, though at a level that remained high. The impact on the hospital system remained significant, with hospital indicators also stabilizing at a high level in Week 14.

In Week 14, the regional incidence rate stabilized at 1,450 per 100,000 inhabitants, representing a 1% decrease compared to Week 13. Testing and positivity rates showed a similar trend. This stabilization was observed relatively uniformly across all age groups, with the exception of those under 15, who had the lowest indicators and a more pronounced downward trend. Among those over 65, this trend was less pronounced, and incidence and positivity rates continued to rise slightly, while the testing rate stabilized. The incidence rate was slightly higher in Vendée compared to other departments and continued to rise slightly in Maine-et-Loire, while it stabilized or even decreased in the other departments.

In terms of healthcare utilization, SOS Médecins calls for suspected Covid-19 cases remained relatively stable at a moderate level in Week 14 compared to recent weeks, and the number of emergency department visits also stabilized in Week 14. In hospitals, the number of new hospitalizations of Covid-19 patients at the regional level stabilized at a level that remained high, as did the numbers of new admissions to intensive care and hospital deaths.

In ESMS, the number of new reported Covid-19 cases appeared to be decreasing in Week 14 (to be confirmed) following a sharp increase in Weeks 12 and 13.

Influenza and Influenza-Like Illness

The Pays de la Loire region has been in an influenza epidemic phase since Week 09, marking the sixth consecutive week. Indicators of healthcare utilization for influenza-like illnesses (emergency department visits and SOS Médecins calls) rose again in Week 14 following a stabilization phase in Week 13, with a more pronounced increase in utilization among those aged 65 and older. Influenza A isolates reported by the Nantes and Angers university hospitals also continued to rise in Week 14 and affected all age groups. Nationally, influenza indicators remained stable in Week 14 with regional variations, and the virus A(H3N2) was the predominant strain in circulation. An increase in reports of severe influenza cases hospitalized in critical care units, and of clusters of acute respiratory infections (other than COVID-19) in long-term care facilities in the region, has also been observed since Week 09.

Acute Gastroenteritis

A decline in healthcare utilization for acute gastroenteritis was recorded in the region between weeks 10 and 13. In week 14, a trend toward stabilization at a level that remains high continues to be observed, primarily among children under 5 years of age.