Summary

In Week 18 (April 27–May 3, 2020), emergency department visits and hospitalizations following such visits increased moderately among children under 2 years of age (up 7%, or 527 visits, and up 6%, or 84 hospitalizations, respectively) and remained stable in other age groups.

Over the past week, 8,142 emergency department visits across all age groups for suspected COVID-19 were recorded (vs. 10,670 visits in Week 17, a 24% decrease). These visits accounted for 5% of total activity (vs. 6% in Week 17). The proportion of hospitalizations following visits was down slightly by 3% (39% vs. 42% in Week 17). The number of hospitalizations in intensive care units (ICUs) was also down (n=86 vs. n=108 in S17). Regionally, the majority of visits were observed in Île-de-France (32%), Grand-Est (9%), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (8%), Hauts-de-France (8%), and PACA (8%).
Since the start of surveillance on February 24, 2020, 134,674 emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded. Among other conditions seen in the emergency department, there has been an increase in visits with low or moderate numbers:

• for dyspnea/respiratory failure (+44%), urinary tract infection (+28%), isolated fever (+20%), anxiety disorders (+23%), allergies (+19%), gastroenteritis (+13%), and foreign bodies (+9%) in children;

• for conjunctivitis (+22%), renal colic (+9%), skin infections (+8%), and anxiety disorders (+5% among 15- to 44-year-olds) in adults;

• for chest pain (+6%), gastrointestinal conditions (+6%), and ENT infections (+16%) across all age groups.