Impact of the lockdown on the burden of COVID-19 in outpatient care in France, spring 2020.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 several countries implemented measures to reduce the number of contacts such as a national lockdown. We estimated the impact of the first lockdown on the burden of COVID-19 in the community in France. METHODS: Physicians participating in the French Sentinelles network reported the number of patients with an acute respiratory infection (ARI) seen in consultation and performed nasopharyngeal swabs in a sample of these patients (first patient of the week). The swabs were tested by RT-PCR for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Clinical and virological data were combined to estimate ARI incidence attributable to SARS-CoV-2 from 17 March to 10 May 2020. RESULTS: The incidence of ARI attributable to COVID-19 decreased after the second week of the lockdown period from 142 (95%CI [101; 183]) to 41 (95%CI [21; 60]) per 100,000 population. A decrease was observed in all areas in metropolitan France. The youngest age groups (<15-years-old) were least affected with a cumulated incidence estimated to 14 per 100,000 population during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The data collected in primary care suggests that the first lockdown implemented in France during spring 2020 significantly reduced the incidence of acute respiratory infections including COVID-19 in France and limited the geographic spread of SARS-CoV-2.