Key Points

COVID-19

• In the Pays de la Loire region, SARS-CoV-2 viral circulation continued the decline that began in Week 50, and hospital and healthcare utilization indicators were also on the decline.

• In Week 02, the regional incidence rate was declining for the fifth consecutive week (44 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease of 51% compared to Week 01), as was the positivity rate (9% in Week 02, a decrease of 5.3 percentage points). This downward trend in all indicators to very low levels was observed across all age groups and all departments.

• SOS Médecins calls and emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 were, once again, decreasing and at low levels. New hospitalizations, new admissions to intensive care, and in-hospital deaths among patients with SARS-CoV-2 were also decreasing.

Bronchiolitis

• The Pays de la Loire region has been in an epidemic phase for bronchiolitis since S41.

• In S02, the rate of emergency department visits for bronchiolitis among children under 2 years of age continued to decline, while SOS Médecins calls remained stable. The positivity rate for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) isolates reported by the virology laboratories at the Nantes and Angers university hospitals continued to decline in S02.

Influenza and influenza-like illness

• The Pays de la Loire region has been in a flu epidemic phase since Week 49.

• In Week 02, emergency department visits and SOS Médecins calls for influenza-like illness continued to decline for the third consecutive week. Hospitalizations following emergency department visits were also down.

• No clusters of acute respiratory infections (excluding COVID-19) in long-term care facilities were reported in Week 02 (unconsolidated data), continuing the decline that began in Week 52. Influenza virus isolations reported by the virology laboratories at the Nantes and Angers university hospitals also continued to decline.

Acute Gastroenteritis

• Emergency department visits for acute gastroenteritis remained stable and at a low level. Calls to SOS Médecins for acute gastroenteritis in S02 were at a moderate level and slightly down after a sharp increase in S01.