Summary

In Week 17 (April 20–26, 2020), emergency department visits increased among children and adults (up 7%, or 1,052 visits, and up 5%, or 8,641 visits, respectively). Hospitalizations following emergency department visits remained stable across all age groups.

Over the past week, 10,731 emergency department visits across all age groups for suspected COVID-19 were recorded (vs. 13,803 in Week 16, a decrease of 22%) and accounted for 6% of total activity (vs. 8% in Week 16). The proportion of hospitalizations following visits remained stable at 41%. Of these hospitalizations, 110 were in intensive care units (ICUs), down from Week 16 (n=160). By region, the majority of visits were observed in Île-de-France (30%), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (9%), and Grand Est (8%). Since the start of surveillance, 130,241 emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded.

Among other conditions seen in emergency departments, there has been an increase in visits for:

• trauma (+11%, or +4,244 visits) and abdominal pain (+9%, or +1,247 visits) across all age groups;

• neurological conditions (+12%, or +524 visits), cardiac decompensation (+8%, or +129 visits), and strokes (+6%, or +136 visits) among adults. Also worth noting is a 15% increase in cases of malaise among those aged 65 and older.