Key Points

• In Week 20 (May 16–22, 2022), emergency department visits among children rose slightly (+5%, or 4,795 visits; hospitalizations following visits remained stable). For other age groups, visits and hospitalizations were stable or declining.

• For the fifth consecutive week, Week 20 saw a decrease in visits for suspected COVID-19 across all age groups (1,915 vs. 2,351 visits, or -19% vs. -20% in Week 19). The proportion of cases has decreased slightly (0.6% vs. 0.8% in Week 19), as has the proportion of hospitalizations (41% vs. 44% in Week 19). This decline, observed across all age groups, is most pronounced among 2- to 14-year-olds (-36%, or -49 visits). At the regional level, visits for suspected COVID-19 are down everywhere except in Île-de-France (+22%, or +13 visits), French Guiana (+38%, or +6 visits), Guadeloupe (+17%, or +8 visits), and Réunion (stable). Since monitoring began on February 24, 2020, 789,429 emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded

• Among other indicators, the following are observed:

  • Among children and adults, an increase in visits related to environmental conditions: hyperthermia and heatstroke (+132%), dehydration (+24%), insect bites (+18%), asthma attacks (+25%), as well as for allergies (+18%) and conjunctivitis (+30%) (except among those aged 75 and older).

  • Among children only: an increase in visits for isolated fever (+16%), malaise (+12%), ENT conditions (+17%), and vomiting among 2- to 14-year-olds (+12%).

  • Among adults: an increase in visits for renal colic and urinary tract infections (around +8%).

• Visits for chickenpox are down among adults and stable among children but remain at a higher level than that observed in 2021 and 2020.