Key Points

In week 33 (August 14–20, 2023), activity at SOS Médecins clinics saw a slight increase (+11% across all age groups, or +7,696 visits), particularly among 2- to 14-year-olds (+13%, or +1,494 visits) and 15- to 74-year-olds (+12%, or +5,628 visits).

Medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 continued to rise: 2,670 procedures were recorded in Week 33 vs. 1,888 in Week 32, representing a 41% increase (+24% in Week 31). This increase was similar (+43%) among children aged 2–14 and adults aged 15 and older, and was smaller among children under 2 years of age (+10%—low sample size: 57 cases in Week 33).

All regions were affected. The increases observed ranged from +9% in Nouvelle-Aquitaine to +127% in Hauts-de-France. Nouvelle-Aquitaine remained the most affected region (24% of cases), followed by Île-de-France (413 cases in S33, +71% compared to S32), PACA (383 cases in S33, +38%), and Occitanie (218 in S33, +36%).

In line with weather conditions, there was an increase in cases across all age groups for heatstroke (116 cases in Q33 vs. 43 in Q32, a 170% increase), dehydration in adults (a 134% increase, or 67 more cases), isolated fever and vomiting in children (+28% and +30%, or +47 and +144 cases, respectively). Cases involving insect bites were also on the rise (+47% across all ages, or +476 cases).

Most of the most frequent diagnoses were also on the rise among children and adults up to age 75 (between +15% and +40% among children, around +12% among adults). There was a trend toward stabilization in the main diagnoses among those aged 75 and older, though with a slight increase—low numbers for deaths (+12%, or +45 cases) and deterioration in general health (+11%, or +28 cases)