Key Points

COVID-19

In the Pays de la Loire region, the decline in SARS-CoV-2 circulation indicators continued in weeks 24 and 25, as observed at the national level. In week 25, incidence and positivity rates were declining, as were testing rates. The highest viral circulation was again observed among those aged 15–30, followed by those aged 30–45 and 0–15.

A new national strategy for systematic RT-PCR screening of SARS-CoV-2 positive tests was implemented starting May 31, 2021, and targets the three variants of interest: E484K (carried notably by the Beta and Gamma variants), E484Q, and L452R (carried notably by the Delta variant). This strategy enables proactive monitoring of the spread of variants carrying these variants of interest at the national level and in the most affected regions.

The number of reported clusters in communities stabilized at a low level in S24 and S25 across all types of communities.

In urban areas, the number of SOS Médecins medical consultations for suspected COVID-19 has generally stabilized at a low level in recent weeks, as has the number of emergency room visits for the same reason. In hospitals, the weekly numbers of new COVID-19 hospitalizations and admissions to critical care units reported at the regional level continued to decline. At the departmental level, all departments now had an incidence rate below 20 per 100,000 inhabitants and a positivity rate below 1% in week 25. Mayenne remained the department with the highest indicators.

In terms of vaccination, over the past two weeks, adults under 65 have been the primary recipients of the vaccine.

Gastroenteritis

Indicators of calls to SOS Médecins and emergency room visits for gastroenteritis continued to rise in Week 24, primarily affecting children under 5 years of age. A slight decrease was observed in Week 25, though rates remained high for the season. Rotavirus isolates were reported by the Angers University Hospital, primarily affecting children under 5 years of age.

Invasive meningococcal infection

Ten cases of invasive meningococcal infection were reported in 2020 and two cases in the first half of 2021, compared to 18 to 28 cases per year over the previous three years. No cases of meningococcal serogroup C have been reported in the past two years, possibly due to the continued improvement in vaccination coverage, particularly among infants.

Heat Wave and Health Alert System (SACS)

The SACS system has been active since June 1 and will remain so until September 15. There was a decrease in healthcare utilization for heat-related conditions in S25 following an increase observed in S24 and S23. To date, no heat waves have affected the region since the start of the season.