[Impact of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology of invasive infections (bacteremia) in the hospitals of the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris].

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive influx of patients suffering from severe forms of the disease into hospitals, often requiring intensive care (vascular catheters, ventilation, etc.) which exposes them to high risks of nosocomial infections, particularly invasive infections (bacteremia). Method: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology of bacteremia in 2020 was analysed in 25 hospitals of the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP, approximately 14,000 beds, covering the Île-de-France region). Up to a quarter of patients admitted to AP-HP during the March-April period (peak of the 1st wave) were infected with COVID-19. The incidence over 100 admissions of bacteraemia increased overall compared to previous years: by 24% in March 2020 and by 115% in April. Results: The evolution of the incidence of bacteremia was not the same for 2 groups of microorganisms with very different ecologies. For the "hospital" type microorganisms classically responsible for nosocomial infections, the incidence increased significantly in March-April 2020: Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic which had a strong impact on hospital management and social organization in the general population, had opposite impacts on the incidence of bacteremia depending on the pathogens and their mode of transmission.