After the announcement of a lockdown in Martinique, another likely to be enforced in Guadeloupe, followed by the implementation of the “white plan” in Corsica, it is now in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region that the situation is becoming critical. To cope with this increase in cases and hospitalizations, the Regional Health Agency has just activated the “white plan”.
In recent weeks, with the rapid resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic partly due to the Delta variant, the ARS PACA (the Regional Health Agency of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) announced this morning in a statement the implementation of the “white plan”.
This plan will help reorganize hospital services to increase their capacity according to needs. It allows for the postponement of certain hospitalizations or surgeries deemed non-urgent, opening more beds, and recalling healthcare workers on vacation to ensure continuity of care.
Initiated by Professor Jean-Luc Jouve, chairman of the medical commission of the university hospitals of Marseille and François Crémieux, general director of the Public Assistance of the Hospitals of Marseille.
In its statement, the ARS explains that “conventional hospitalizations for positive Covid cases have increased by 56%. In critical care, this increase reaches 46%.” The incidence rate has also risen, it stands at 571 per 100,000 people, whereas it was 404 per 100,000 at the end of July.
It seems these figures are not likely to stop rising, as Jean Luc Louve declared, “We are approaching saturation, the period between August 9 and 20 will be very difficult.”
The statement also reveals that the majority of those hardest hit by this new wave are unvaccinated. The average age of hospitalized patients has decreased compared to previous waves (66 years old); currently, it is 54 years, and 58 for those in intensive care.
On Europe 1, Nicolas Bruder, head of the intensive care unit at La Timone hospital in Marseille, mentioned this drop in average age: “We have young patients in intensive care: a lot of patients around their thirties. Which we only saw exceptionally in previous waves.”
Even though the health situation is increasingly worrying, several senior healthcare workers confirm that at this stage, there is not yet a need to recall healthcare workers on leave. But with the implementation of the white plan, it is expected that this may become necessary in the coming days and weeks.
