Key Points - Infection with the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19

In week 37, an increase in the number of hospitalizations following visits to the emergency room for suspected coronavirus was observed in Brittany, but this indicator remains significantly lower than the figures from March. The number of patients hospitalized in intensive care for COVID-19 in the region remains low as of September 15, 2020. An increase in calls to SOS Médecins for suspected COVID-19 has been particularly observed since the first week of September in Brittany across all age groups except those aged 65 and older, coinciding with the start of the school year and the return to work; however, the number of emergency room visits for this diagnosis remains generally stable.

• As of September 14, 2020, 8,898 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed by RT-PCR in Brittany since the start of the epidemic, including 1,567 in Week 37.

• Virology: The RT-PCR positivity rate continues to rise, reaching 3.8% in Week 37 (compared to 3.4% in Week 36), subject to data consolidation. Data are not available for Week 38. More than 41,200 tests were performed in Week 37 in Brittany. The number of confirmed cases in Week 37 increased by 3.6% compared to Week 36 (representing an increase of 55 confirmed cases between Weeks 36 and 37).

• SI-VIC: The majority of current hospitalizations are in Ille-et-Vilaine. The majority of deaths since March have occurred in Morbihan (35.7%) and Ille-et-Vilaine (33.5%).

• ESMS: From March 1, 2020, through September 17, 559 facilities reported an outbreak, including 174 confirmed by one or more confirmed cases—residents or staff members—linked to COVID-19 in Brittany. These included 352 (63%) nursing homes (EHPAD) and 207 (37%) other medical-social facilities (EMS). The 559 reports corresponded to a total of 2,738 cases of COVID-19 (444 confirmed cases and 2,294 possible cases) among residents, of whom 270 were hospitalized. Among these possible and confirmed cases, 93 died in the facilities and 63 died in the hospital out of the total 559 reports; in the 174 facilities with a confirmed case, there were 73 deaths in the facility and 54 in the hospital, respectively.

• Oscour®: In Week 37 (September 7–13, 2020), 112 emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19 were reported by the Oscour® network, representing 0.8% of coded activity. Of these visits, 25.0% were reported among those aged 65 and older, 14.3% among those aged 45–64, 45.5% among those aged 15–44, and 15.2% among those under 15. A slight increase in the number of emergency department visits was observed in Week 37 compared to Week 36, amounting to 15.5% (i.e., 15 additional emergency department visits for suspected COVID-19), primarily affecting those under 15 and those aged 65 and older. In Week 37, there was a 104.0% increase in the number of hospitalizations following emergency department visits for suspected coronavirus among those aged 15–44 and those aged 65 and older compared to Week 36 (+24 hospitalizations between Weeks 36 and 37), though this figure remains significantly lower than the indicators from March. In Week 38 (partial data), as of September 15, 2020, emergency departments in Brittany reported 37 visits for suspected COVID-19, representing 1.0% of total coded activity. From early March through September 15, 2020, a total of 6,622 visits for suspected coronavirus were recorded. These indicators remain generally stable and are not comparable to those from March.

• SOS Médecins: In week 37 (September 7–13, 2020), the Breton SOS Médecins associations reported 334 cases involving suspected COVID-19, representing 9.8% of total coded activity. Of these cases, 2.4% were reported among those aged 65 and older, 9.0% among those aged 45–64, 56.6% among those aged 15–44, and 32.0% among those under 15. In week 38 (partial data), as of September 15, 2020, the Breton SOS Médecins associations reported 105 cases of suspected COVID-19, representing 11.5% of total coded activity. From early March through September 15, 2020, a total of 3,029 SOS Médecins cases involving suspected coronavirus were recorded. The increase in calls to SOS Médecins for suspected COVID-19 observed since week 35 continues. This increase has been particularly noticeable since the first week of September across all age groups except for those aged 65 and older (potential impact of the start of the school year for those under 15 and the return to work for other age groups).