Key Points

In Week 15 (April 10–16, 2023), emergency department visits and hospitalizations following a visit were slightly higher among children under 2 years of age (+5%, or +979 visits and +145 hospitalizations), lower among children aged 2–14 (-10%), and stable among adults.

Across all age groups, there was an increase in visits for gastroenteritis (+10%, or +490 visits), accompanied among children by an increase in visits for vomiting (+7%, or +103 visits among children) as well as an increase in visits for chickenpox (+16%, or 78 visits), most pronounced among adults aged 15–74 (+52%, corresponding to 41 vs. 27 visits on average per week since S12). Visits for suspected COVID-19, after two weeks of stabilization, are on the rise again (+15%, or +26 visits among children under 2, +14%, or +129 visits among those aged 15–74, and +20%, or +178 visits among those aged 75 and older), except among children aged 2–14, where numbers have continued to decline for the past three weeks.

Among children under 2, the increase in activity affects most of the most common indicators and diagnoses in the emergency department, with increases of around +10%. Of note is a more pronounced increase in visits for allergies (+39%), though with low overall numbers (+50 visits). Among those under 15, regarding mental health, there has been an increase in suicidal acts (+15%, or +18 visits).

Among adults, the nearly uninterrupted rise in visits for conjunctivitis has continued for 13 weeks among those aged 15–74 (+7%, or +58 visits), remaining at a high level across all age groups. Among those aged 75 and older, there has been an increase in visits for cardiac decompensation (+8%, or +115 visits).