Key Points

COVID-19

Viral circulation continues to rise, with an adjusted incidence rate (accounting for the effect of the Monday, April 18, 2022, holiday) of 1,901 cases per 100,000 residents and a positivity rate of 41%, which has remained stable for the past three weeks.

At the same time, the health impact remains moderate. There has been a decrease in new hospitalizations, and the number of admissions has been rising slightly since Week 11 of 2022. The trend in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients should be monitored in the coming weeks to see if the downward trend continues. 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.

The number of emergency department visits due to influenza remains stable, affecting almost exclusively those under 15 years of age. However, since Week S15, there has been a 25% decrease in emergency department visits due to bronchiolitis among children under 2 years of age.

Bronchiolitis

There has been a 25% decrease (n=50) in emergency department visits due to bronchiolitis compared to the previous week (n=67). The hospitalization rate has also decreased, falling from 49% in week 15 to 34% in week 16. Despite the decline in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, Réunion remains in the epidemic phase for the seventh consecutive week.

Influenza

Transition to the pre-epidemic phase. The number of emergency department visits remained stable in Week 16 and involved almost exclusively children under 15 years of age (n=11/12). Hospital virological surveillance indicates the co-circulation of influenza viruses, with 8 positive samples for influenza type A(H3N2) and 2 for type A(H1N1) since early April. An 8-year-old child was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with laboratory confirmation of influenza A(H1N1). Réunion remains in the pre-epidemic phase.