Key Points

In Week 35 (August 28–September 3, 2023), emergency department visits and hospitalizations declined slightly among adults aged 15–74 (-5%, or 12,288 fewer visits) and remained stable in other age groups.

Visits across all age groups for suspected COVID-19 have stabilized (2,769 vs. 2,731 visits in Week 34), with a mixed picture across age groups: a slight increase among those under 2 and those 75 and older (+7%, or +88 visits), stability among those aged 15–74, and a decrease among those aged 2–14 (-27%, or -28 visits). These visits remain below 1% of total emergency department activity, and the proportion of hospitalizations following a visit also remains stable at 33%. At the regional level, only five regions saw an increase (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (+53%), Pays de la Loire (+25%), Grand-Est (+17%), Hauts-de-France (+12%), and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (+11%)); the others remained stable or declined.

Most other indicators are declining across all age groups. However, we note the beginning of an increase in visits for asthma attacks among children (up 26%, or 206 visits, among those under 15) as well as an increase in visits for bronchiolitis among children under 2 (up 15%, or 48 visits). Also worth noting is an increase of approximately +8% in visits for neurological symptoms (including diagnoses of headache, migraine, dizziness, and epilepsy) among those aged 2–14 and 15–74 (+549 visits), which fluctuate at levels comparable to previous years.