Summary

In week 33 (August 10–16, 2020), emergency department visits increased slightly across all age groups (+6%, or +20,467 visits), as did hospitalizations following visits (+4%, or +2,516 hospitalizations).

Over the past week, the number of visits across all age groups for suspected COVID-19 increased by 8% (i.e., +159 visits) for the second consecutive week (2,199 vs. 2,040 visits in Week 32—consolidated data as of August 18, 2020). This increase is observed across all age groups but is more significant in terms of numbers among those aged 15–74 (+7%, or 112 visits). The share of visits for COVID-19 in total activity across all age groups, as well as the proportion of hospitalizations following visits, remain stable at 0.72% and 33%, respectively (vs. 0.70% and 32% in Week 32—consolidated data as of August 18, 2020). The increase is observed in most regions except Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Corsica, French Guiana, Hauts-de-France, and Pays-de-la-Loire. By region, of all visits for suspected COVID-19, 33% were recorded in Île-de-France and 9% in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Since monitoring began on February 24, 2020, 183,031 emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded.

Among other conditions seen in emergency departments, increases were observed for dehydration (+34%, or +207 visits), isolated fever (+15%, or +557 visits), asthma (+10%, or +136 visits), and conjunctivitis (+12%, or +112 visits); for allergies (+14%, or +94 visits), chickenpox (+52%, or +22 visits), and hyperthermia/heatstroke (+25%, or +18 visits) among children; and for general malaise (+4%, or +406 visits) and insect bites (+6%, or +149 visits) among adults aged 15 and older.

Finally, among the most common conditions, there were also increases in trauma (+10%), vomiting (+19%), and skin conditions (+60%) among children under 2 years old; for skin infections (+12%) and foreign bodies (+13%) among children; for urinary tract infections among those aged 15 and older; and for ENT infections across all age groups (+28%).