Summary

In Week 42 (October 18–24, 2021), total activity at SOS Médecins clinics increased among children under 2 years of age (+8%, or +612 visits) and adults aged 75 and older (+6%, or +299 visits), while remaining stable among children aged 2–14 and adults aged 15–74.

Cases involving suspected COVID-19 continued to rise for the second consecutive week (+24% in Week 42 and +4% in Week 41). In total, 964 cases were recorded in Week 42 (vs. 779 cases in Week 41, an increase of 185 cases). This increase is mainly driven by the 15–74 age group (+33%, or +205 cases). In other age groups, cases are down among those under 2 and those aged 2–14, and stable among those aged 75 and older. At the regional level, an increase in procedures was observed in six regions: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (+66%, or 41 procedures), Hauts-de-France (+47%, or 30 procedures), Occitanie (+54%, or 26 procedures), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (+26%, or 28 cases), Brittany (+74%, or 26 cases), and Grand-Est (+21%, or 15 cases). Since monitoring began on March 3, 2020, 251,567 medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 have been performed.

Seasonal respiratory indicators continue to rise: pneumonia (+22%, or +133 cases), influenza/flu-like illness (+31%, or +127 cases), and bronchitis (to a lesser extent) across all age groups. There is also an increase in cases of gastroenteritis (+11%, or +572 cases) across all age groups. Among children under two years of age, all indicators are rising, particularly bronchiolitis (+26%, or +118 procedures) and infectious conjunctivitis (+27%, an increase also observed among 2- to 14-year-olds). Finally, there has been an increase in medical procedures for general malaise, though the numbers are small (+50% among 2- to 14-year-olds and +13% among 15- to 74-year-olds), as well as for heart failure (+49% among those aged 75 and older).