Epidemiological Surveillance in the Pays de la Loire Region. Update as of December 16, 2022.

Published on 16 December 2022

Key Points

In the Pays de la Loire region, viral circulation continued to rise, and hospital indicators also showed a slight increase.
In Week 49, the regional incidence rate continued to rise, increasing by 22% compared to the previous week and reaching 612 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The positivity rate, after three consecutive weeks of increase, remained stable at 35% between Weeks 48 and 49.
The Omicron variant continued to circulate exclusively in the region. The BA.5 sublineage remained largely predominant, accounting for 94% of sequences in the Flash survey in week 48. Within the BA.5 lineage, the BQ.1.1 sublineage continued to gain ground until it became the dominant strain: it accounted for 64% of interpretable sequences in the Flash survey in week 48.
Healthcare utilization for suspected COVID-19 in Week 49 remained at moderate levels, stable for SOS Médecins calls and slightly increasing for emergency department visits. New hospitalizations and new admissions to critical care units for patients with SARS-CoV-2 were slightly increasing in Week 49. In-hospital deaths among patients with SARS-CoV-2 were stable.
Sentinel intensive care units reported 163 cases of COVID-19 for the second half of 2022, 51% of whom were aged 65 and older.

The Pays de la Loire region has been in an epidemic phase for bronchiolitis since week 41.
In Week 49, SOS Médecins calls and emergency department visits for bronchiolitis among children under 2 years of age remained at very high levels but began to decline, as did hospitalizations following emergency department visits. The number of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus, responsible for winter bronchiolitis epidemics) isolates reported by the virology laboratories at the Nantes and Angers university hospitals remained stable at a high level.

In week 49, the Pays de la Loire region entered an influenza epidemic phase.
In week 49, SOS Médecins calls and emergency department visits for influenza-like illness rose sharply, as did hospitalizations following emergency department visits. A very sharp increase in influenza virus isolates was also observed in week 49 by the virology laboratories at the Nantes and Angers university hospitals.