Key Points

In Week 39 (September 26 to October 2, 2022), emergency department visits and hospitalizations following visits continued to rise among children under 2 years of age (+9%, or +1,947 visits, and +10%, or +284 hospitalizations) and remained stable in other age groups.

Seasonal respiratory indicators continue to rise across all age groups: acute bronchitis (+24%, or +303 visits), ENT conditions and pneumonia (+10% and +21%, or +1,728 and +685 visits respectively, with higher levels than in previous years among children) and influenza/influenza-like illness (+32%, or +126 visits).

Among children under 2 years of age, there is also a continued increase in visits for bronchiolitis (up 37%, or 432 more visits, and up 24%, or 96 more hospitalizations), with a trend comparable to that observed last season but occurring earlier than in previous seasons, cough (+36%, or +318 visits) and asthma (+23%, or +115 visits).

Among other indicators showing an increase, the following visits are noted:

• all ages: for conjunctivitis (+15%, or +142 visits), with rates among children higher than in previous years;

• in children: for suicide attempts (+30%, or +39 visits);

• in adults: for suspected COVID-19 (+37% among those aged 15–74 and +62% among those aged 75 and older) and chest pain (+12%, or +1,167 visits);

• specifically among those aged 75 and older: for dyspnea, respiratory failure (+19%, or +260 visits), and cardiac decompensation (+20%, or +263 visits).

Visits for suspected COVID-19 increased by +39% (3,890 visits across all ages vs. 2,803 in Week 38, representing 1.2% of total activity vs. 0.9% in Week 38), with a rising proportion of hospitalizations following a visit (40% vs. 36% in Week 38).