HEALTH: The management of the Lille hospital centre says it is concerned, but not worried, after the passage of the Lille in the maximum alert zone for the coronavirus
- After the announcement of the placement in the maximum alert zone of the Lille metropolitan area, the hospital sector expects to relive a new epidemic wave of Covid-19.
- The management of the Lille hospital centre (CHU) is reassuring, ensuring that it is not saturated.
- Nevertheless, the number of Covid patients has continued to increase for a month.
We take the same and start again. After the announcement, by the Minister of Health, of the placement in the maximum alert zone of the Lille metropolitan area, the hospital sector expects to relive a new epidemic wave of Covid-19 with a scenario identical to that of spring.
The Regional Health Agency has also asked the hospitals most in tension “to prepare for the first deprogramming measures” of care. Nevertheless, the management of the Lille hospital center (CHU) was reassuring this Friday during a press point. “We are not saturated. We maintain as much as possible the non-Covid activity ”, underlines the head of the intensive care unit of the CHU.
21% occupancy rate of intensive care beds
Thus, the occupancy rate of resuscitation beds by patients with Covid-19 is 21%, according to the management which specifies “to have 50 permanently armed medical beds”, but ensures “to be able to reach the number of 120 in need ”. If the CHU refuses, for the moment, to trigger the White Plan, a dedicated Covid unit has nevertheless been set up.
Because the number of patients, supported or not in intensive care, has not stopped growing for a few weeks. “There were three times more during the second half of September than during the first”, testifies Julien Poissy. The latter had expressed his anger at the relaxation of the population, as early as May.
“And the development will not stop in a few days, despite the restrictions announced”, predicts Frédéric Boiron, director of the CHU. The epidemic continued to grow for a month in a period of total containment. There is no reason for the scenario to differ without containment.
“No worries”
According to some models, hospital services could even quickly find themselves saturated, due to a lack of beds, but also of staff. According to the management of the Lille University Hospital, 1,500 caregivers are currently recovering leave or more than 10% of the staff.
“We must not wait until the services are saturated so that everyone realizes that he has a responsibility,” continues Frédéric Boiron. Before concluding that the CHU was ready to face. “No worries about stocks of protective equipment, or respirators,” he says. One thing is certain: Covid mortality should be lower than in the spring because intensive care is more effective.
