Key Points

In Week 13 (March 28–April 3, 2022), emergency department visits and hospitalizations following such visits decreased among 2- to 14-year-olds (-7%, or 6,146 fewer visits, and -7%, or 490 fewer hospitalizations), while remaining stable in other age groups.

Visits for suspected COVID-19 across all age groups continued to rise for the fourth consecutive week (7,829 vs. 6,844 visits, a 14% increase, compared to a 28% increase in Week 12 and a 29% increase in Week 11). The share of activity also remains slightly higher (2.2% vs. 1.8% in Week 12), while the proportion of hospitalizations remains stable at 35%. The increase applies to all age groups except for those aged 2–14, among whom visits remain stable.

COVID-19 is the 9th most common condition in emergency departments among children under 2, the 7th among those aged 15–74, and the 3rd among those aged 75 and older. At the regional level, emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 are on the rise in all regions except Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Brittany, and Centre-Val-de-Loire.

Since monitoring began on February 24, 2020, 756,830 emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded.

Visits for influenza/flu-like illness continue to rise moderately among adults (+13%, or +424 visits) and remain stable among children at a level higher than in 2019–2020. Among other seasonal indicators, the main increases are observed in adults, ranging from +5% to +7% (pneumonia, ENT conditions, gastroenteritis, asthma). There is also an increase in visits for acute bronchitis across all age groups (+12%, or +183 visits).