The situation is improving in Toulouse, which wants to avoid the "second wave"

• This Friday, 157 patients with Covid-19 were hospitalized at the Toulouse University Hospital, including 52 in intensive care.
• The situation is improving, but doctors are calling for continued containment.
• The question of deconfinement remains "an unknown", in a region where the Covid-19 has circulated much less than in the Grand-Est or Ile-de-France.

The words are from the Director General of the Toulouse University Hospital: "We are in a period of confinement and it does not stop. The deconfinement remains at the hypothetical stage. A way for Marc Penaud to prevent any excess of optimism, even if the news is rather good on the front of the fight against the coronavirus.

"The wave, we had it a little over 15 days ago," says the hospital manager. "Last weekend, the balance was zero between inbound and outbound due to Covid-19," said the hospital manager. Since then, we have been decreasing. But [this Friday] we still have 52 patients in intensive care for a pathology. It is not trivial. "

These patients are between 19 and 88 years of age, "with an average age of 55 to 70 years," explains Béatrice Riu, head of the multipurpose resuscitation service at Purpan hospital. It is "75% men" and "the risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, overweight" are logically the same as elsewhere in the world.

19 fewer Covid-19 patients since Wednesday

This Friday, 157 people were hospitalized in Purpan and Rangueil because of Covid-19, against 170 Thursday, and 176 Wednesday. Since the start of the epidemic, the CHU has counted 17 victims (out of the 23 identified in hospitals in Haute-Garonne) and 197 patients recovered and returned home.

Press briefing on COVID-19 at the Toulouse University Hospital with Marc Penaud, Béatrice Riu, Jean-Marc Soulat, Pierre Delobel, Vincent Bounes and Yves Rolland: 157 hospitalized patients including 52 in intensive care, 197 discharged patients and 17 deceased patients # Covid_19 # Coronavius ​​# stay at home pic.twitter.com/G9t1XshuFE

The Toulouse region, and Occitania in general, suffered less than the Grand-Est and Ile-de-France from the coronavirus, thanks to the confinement imposed since March 17 and the “late” arrival of the epidemic .

Until Sunday, it was able to welcome patients from the Grand-Est to relieve hospitals in this area (24 in total for the former Midi-Pyrénées region). "Since last weekend, the situation has improved slowly in the most affected regions which are finding resuscitation capacities and we are no longer in demand," says Marc Penaud. “The goal is that there is no second wave. "

The “other side of the coin”

Because, beyond its date and its implementation still to be defined, there is "an unknown of deconfinement", recalls Pierre Delobel, head of the department of infectious and tropical diseases. "The downside is that our region has been little affected by the coronavirus, so there is a low rate of immunization of the population, which could weaken us more compared to the areas where the virus has circulated more. Respect for “barrier gestures” will then be essential for the specialist, in order to “avoid a rebound” of the disease.

In short, if the situation improves overall on the front of the Covid-19, nothing is yet won, especially not in the Ehpad, despite the specific devices put in place. The most recent official figures for the victims date from Tuesday and concern Occitania as a whole, with 85 residents dead (61 in their establishment, 24 in the hospital).

The Ehpad still under tension

In Haute-Garonne, "we have screened 138 residents and 14 nursing homes are facing Covid-19 problems," said geriatrician Yves Rolland on Friday. Are there potential “clusters”, like this Mauguio (Hérault) residence? "We can fear it in some nursing homes," replied the professor.

In addition, collateral problems appear. The situation of confinement has certainly slowed down the epidemic, but it is also accompanied by psychiatric problems and the increase in domestic violence.

Vincent Bounes, chief of service of Samu 31, shares his concern on another subject: “We have patients who have heart attacks or strokes at ten days and who waited because they did not want to interfere or because they feared d 'be exposed to Covid-19. A delay often synonymous with loss of chance for these people. However, the CHU has compartmentalized its activities and has ample resources to absorb the flow outside the coronavirus.

To finish on an optimistic note, the general manager Marc Penaud wishes "to salute the generosity which cannot be denied around us". To date, 200,000 euros in donations to the CHU have been recorded, coming from institutions such as ordinary citizens as well as "sports teams, with nearly 85,000 euros collected by the players of Stade Toulousain".

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