Key Points

In Week 37 (September 13–19, 2021), the second week after the start of the school year, total activity at SOS Médecins clinics saw a sharp increase among children (+33%, or 6,068 visits). After seven consecutive weeks of decline, medical procedures for suspected COVID-19 across all age groups, as well as their share of total activity, remained stable (1,422 procedures vs. 1,455 in Week 36, a decrease of 2%). The share of activity was 1.9% (vs. 2.1% in Week 36). The decline continues among adults (-7%, or -87 cases), while among children aged 2–14 (+23%, or +59 cases), we are seeing a second week of increase in this second week of the new school year. At the regional level, SOS Médecins medical visits for suspected COVID-19 are rising, albeit slightly, in six regions: Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (+38%, or +14 visits), Normandy (+38%, or +25 visits), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (+26%, or +40 visits), Centre-Val de Loire (+12%, or +2 visits), Hauts-de-France (+8%, or +7 visits), and PACA (+5%, or +12 visits). Since monitoring began on March 3, 2020, 246,486 medical visits for suspected COVID-19 have been recorded. Among other conditions, there has been an increase across all age groups in respiratory conditions (+58% among children and +25% among those aged 15–74), including bronchitis (+98% among children and +23% among those aged 15–74) and asthma (+59% among those aged 2–14 and +37% among those aged 15–74). Among children under 2 years of age, there was an increase in medical procedures for allergies (+71%), trauma (+61%), and insect bites (+40%). Finally, in other age groups, there was an increase in procedures for chickenpox (+14%) among 2- to 14-year-olds and for allergies among those aged 75 and older.