Key Points

COVID-19

• In the Pays de la Loire region, viral circulation continued to rise, albeit at a more moderate pace than the previous week, and hospital indicators also showed a slight increase.

• In Week 48, virological indicators continued to rise, with a 21% increase in the regional incidence rate (506 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and a positivity rate of 35% (+2 percentage points).

• The Omicron variant continued to circulate exclusively in the region. The BA.5 sublineage remained largely predominant, accounting for 96% of sequences in the Flash survey during week 44. Within the BA.5 lineage, the BQ.1.1 sublineage accounted for 40% of sequences in the Flash survey during week 44.

• Seekings of care for suspected COVID-19 were on the rise in Week 48 among SOS Médecins associations, while they remained stable in the region’s emergency departments.

• In hospitals, new hospitalizations of patients with SARS-CoV-2 had been rising slightly since Week 46, while new admissions to critical care units were decreasing in Week 48 following a sharp increase in Week 47. Hospital deaths among patients with SARS-CoV-2 were rising slightly.

• In long-term care facilities, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported among residents was rising sharply. The number of deaths remained stable.

Bronchiolitis

• Epidemic phase since Week 41.

• In Week 48, emergency department visits and hospitalizations for bronchiolitis among children under 2 years of age remained at very high levels. SOS Médecins calls were decreasing in week 48 but remained at high levels, similar to week 43. In week 48, the number of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) isolates—the virus responsible for winter bronchiolitis outbreaks—reported by virology laboratories was stable at the Nantes University Hospital but decreasing at the Angers University Hospital.

Influenza and influenza-like illness

• Pre-epidemic phase since Week 48.

• SOS Médecins calls and emergency department visits for influenza-like illness continued to increase compared to previous weeks. An initial increase in influenza virus isolates was also observed in Week 48 by the virology laboratories at the Nantes and Angers University Hospitals.

• Since Week 40, five clusters of acute respiratory infections (ARI) other than COVID-19 have been reported by healthcare facilities in the region, including three that occurred since Week 46. Of these five clusters, none has been attributed to influenza.