Summary

In week 48 (November 23–29, 2020), total activity at SOS Médecins clinics rose slightly among children (+4%, or +603 visits) and remained stable among adults.

In week 48, the decline in medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 continued. This decline was observed across all age groups in nearly identical proportions (around -20%). Suspected COVID-19 was the fourth most common diagnosis among adults and the seventh most common among children aged 2–14. In total, 2,394 cases were recorded (vs. 3,008 cases in week 47, a decrease of 20%). The share of total activity across all ages is also down to 4.3% (vs. 5.4% in week 47). This decline, observed in all regions, is most pronounced in Martinique (-100%, or -11 cases), Corsica (-58%, or -15 procedures), Brittany (-44%, or -47 procedures), Normandy (-37%, or -79 procedures), and Burgundy-Franche-Comté (-36%, or -53 procedures). Since the start of surveillance, 151,540 procedures for suspected COVID-19 have been performed.

Among other conditions, an increase in procedures for ENT disorders (+7%, or 756 procedures) and gastroenteritis (+7%, or 149 procedures) was observed in children, while procedures for trauma rose among those aged 15–74 (+8%, or 113 procedures). In cases with moderate numbers (<50 cases), increases were also noted for bronchiolitis (+18%) and conjunctivitis (+10%) in children under 2 years of age; isolated fever (+13%) and viral syndrome (+12%) in children aged 2–14; for general malaise among those under 15 years old (+44%) and those 75 years and older (+19%), and for heart failure (+27%), falls (+21%), and various cardiac conditions (+17%) among those 75 years and older.