Key Points

In Week 52 (December 27, 2021, to January 2, 2022), emergency department visits and subsequent hospitalizations increased among those aged 15–74, remained stable among children under 2 and those aged 75 and older, and decreased among children aged 2–14.

Visits for suspected COVID-19 across all age groups are rising sharply (14,545 vs. 9,759 in Week 51, +49%) and have surpassed the peak of the fourth wave. The share of activity is also rising (4.7% vs. 3.3% in Week 51), while the proportion of hospitalizations following visits is declining (35% vs. 44% in Week 51). The increases affect all age groups: +166% among children under 2, +96% among 2- to 14-year-olds, +47% among 15- to 74-year-olds, and +31% among those aged 75 and older. Among adults, COVID-19 has become the second (ages 15–74), fourth (ages 75 and older), and sixth (under 2 years old) most common condition in emergency departments. At the regional level, emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 are on the rise in all regions. The sharpest increases are observed in Normandy (+85%), Centre-Val de Loire (+84%), Pays de la Loire (+76%), Hauts-de-France (+71%), and Île-de-France (+71%). In the overseas territories, increases in visits are observed in Mayotte (+433%), French Guiana (+309%), Guadeloupe (+146%), and Réunion (+48%). Since monitoring began on February 24, 2020, 628,684 emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded.

Regarding seasonal illnesses, all indicators are declining among children during this second week of school vacation. Among adults aged 15–74, conversely, a moderate increase is observed in most indicators, particularly visits for influenza/flu-like syndrome (+19%, or +181 visits) and isolated fever (+25%, or +332 visits). Among those aged 75 and older, there has been an increase in visits for pneumonia (+25%, or +482 visits) and dyspnea (+12%, or +212 visits).