Summary

In Week 17 (April 26–May 2, 2021), with schools reopening in all three zones, the number of visits and hospitalizations following visits decreased across all age groups.

In Week 17, visits for suspected COVID-19 across all age groups and their share of total activity declined for the third consecutive week (8,654 vs. 10,666 visits in Week 16, a decrease of 19%, and 3.4% vs. 4.0% in Week 16). This decline is particularly pronounced among children under 2 years of age (-35%, or 29 visits) and adults (-19%, or 1,982 visits); visits among 2- to 14-year-olds remain stable. Suspected COVID-19 is the fourth most common diagnosis among 15- to 74-year-olds. The proportion of hospitalizations following visits across all age groups remained stable at 57% (vs. 58% in S16). At the regional level, visits for suspected COVID-19 were stable or declining in all regions except the Overseas Territories: Mayotte (+67%, or +2 visits), Guadeloupe (+28%, or +30 visits), Réunion (+13%, or +11 visits), and French Guiana (+8%, or +5 visits). Since monitoring began on February 24, 2020, 475,278 emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded.

In the context of the return to school following a two-week closure, all non-specific and seasonal indicators are declining among both children and adults, with the exception of gastrointestinal symptoms in children (+11% for gastroenteritis, +18% for vomiting in children under 2 years of age, +24% for abdominal pain in children aged 2–14). Also worth noting, among 2- to 14-year-olds, there was an increase in visits for urinary tract infections (+20%), asthma (+10%), and isolated fever (+8%), though the numbers were small (<75 visits for these indicators). Among those aged 75 and older, there was a slight increase in visits for chest pain (+7%, or +92 visits).