Summary

In week 45 (November 2–8, 2020), emergency department visits and subsequent hospitalizations remained stable or declined across all age groups except among 2- to 14-year-olds (up 16%, or 4,947 visits, and up 7%, or 219 hospitalizations, respectively). In week 45, after four consecutive weeks of increases, the number of visits across all age groups for suspected COVID-19 stabilized (-3%), with a mixed picture depending on age group: a decrease among adults (-7%, or 778 fewer visits) and an increase among 2- to 14-year-olds, likely linked to the end of the All Saints’ Day school break (+30%, with 177 visits in W45 vs. 136 visits in W44, or +41 visits) and among those aged 75 and older (+10%, with 4,319 visits in W45 vs. 3,942 visits in W44, or +377 visits). This week, suspected COVID-19 is the second most common diagnosis among adults. In total, 14,584 visits were recorded in week 45 (vs. 14,959 visits in week 44—consolidated data as of 11/10/2020). The share of visits for COVID-19 in total activity remains stable at 7%, while the proportion of hospitalizations following a visit across all age groups is on the rise (54% vs. 49% in Week 44). By region, the decline is mainly observed in Île-de-France (-19%), French Guiana (-65%), Occitanie (-12%), and Centre-Val-de-Loire (-4%). In the other regions, visits are on the rise, most notably in Réunion (+52%), Brittany (+20%), and Pays de la Loire (+20%). Since monitoring began on February 24, 2020, 269,711 emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded. Seasonal respiratory illnesses are stable or declining, with levels lower than in the previous two years, including bronchiolitis. Among children aged 2–14, linked to the return to school, there has been an increase in trauma cases (+26%, or +2,858 visits), abdominal pain (+29%, or +525 visits), general malaise (+43%, or +106 visits), and asthma (+14%, or +83 visits).