Key Points

COVID-19

• Viral circulation continues to rise, with an incidence rate of over 1,800 cases per 100,000 residents and a positivity rate of 41%—equivalent to the peak in January 2022—which has been stabilizing for the past two weeks.

• At the same time, the health impact remains moderate despite a slight increase in the number of new hospitalizations and admissions to critical care. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is a concern, as more and more COVID-19 patients have been hospitalized in recent weeks.

• Since Week 11, the weekly death toll has fluctuated at a low level.

• The Omicron variant still accounts for 100% of interpretable sequences, with the BA.2 sublineage being dominant.

Bronchiolitis

• Epidemic situation

• The number of emergency room visits for bronchiolitis has stabilized, with 61 visits in Week 15 compared to 59 the previous week. The epidemic threshold remains exceeded. Réunion remains in an epidemic situation.

Influenza

• A slow but steady increase in the number of emergency room visits for influenza has been observed over the past 3 weeks. These visits primarily involve those under 15 years of age (50% in Week 15). This increase is confirmed by hospital virological surveillance, with 8 positive samples for influenza A(H3N2) since early April (vs. 4 in March). Given the situation, Réunion is entering the pre-epidemic phase this week.