Key Points

In Week 52 (December 27, 2021, to January 2, 2022), total activity at SOS Médecins clinics increased among adults aged 15 and older (+17%, or +8,640 visits) and decreased among children (-18%, or -4,917 visits).

Cases involving suspected COVID-19 rose for the second consecutive week, reaching the peak of the third wave. They represent the second most common condition among adults aged 15–74. In total, 5,908 cases (vs. 4,039 cases in Week 51) were recorded (a 46% increase vs. 11% in Week 51 and 2% in Week 50). Cases are rising across all age groups: among children under 2 years old (+29%, or +29 cases), those aged 2–14 (+20%, or +121 cases), those aged 15–74 (+51%, or +1,602 cases), and those aged 75 and older (+46%, or +1,869 cases). At the regional level, SOS Médecins medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 are on the rise in all regions. The sharpest increases are observed in Corsica (+166%, or +144 procedures), Centre-Val de Loire (+147%, or +106 procedures), Hauts-de-France (+79%, or +321 procedures), Brittany (+69%, or +87 procedures), and Grand-Est (+68%, or +254 procedures).

Since monitoring began on March 3, 2020, 280,925 medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 have been performed.

Among seasonal indicators, there has been an increase in procedures for chickenpox in children (+34%, or +195 procedures). Most indicators show a marked increase among adults of all ages; aside from COVID-19, which saw the sharpest rise, the main increases concern acute gastroenteritis (+35%, or +996 cases) among those aged 15–74 and bronchitis (+78%, or +265 cases) among those aged 75 and older. Procedures for influenza/influenza-like illness are down among children (-41% among those aged 2–14) in S52 but continue to rise among adults (+14%, or +225 procedures) aged 15–74.