After evacuations organized by air, the army again contributed to the fight against the new coronavirus: arrived in the port of Ajaccio, in Corse-du-Sud, early Sunday morning, the Tonnerre left shortly after 14 h, after having transferred on board 12 patients in an ambulance rotation between the imperial city hospital center and the ship.
The helicopter carrier should reach Marseille early Monday morning, after fifteen hours of crossing, told AFP Captain Arnaud Tranchant, its commander, during a press briefing.
The patients, six of whom were in intensive care and six only on oxygen, will then be transported to different Marseille hospitals: Timone, Nord hospital, Saint-Joseph and European hospital, according to the Provence-Alpes regional health agency. -Côte-d'Azur (ARS).
Hospitals in a “quasi-saturation” situation
"The ARS will contact all the families to warn them of the place of arrival of their loved one," said Marie-Hélène Lecenne, director of the ARS in Corsica, adding that on Saturday, "an interview between each patient and their parent the closest has (happened) ”. Of the 15 resuscitation beds currently available in Ajaccio, 13 were occupied on Sunday, ie "almost saturated", she also stressed.
[# COVID19] The main doctor Charles presents the medical capacities of the PHA Tonnerre🇫🇷 and its reconfiguration in order to accomplish the mission entrusted to the on-board medical team: relieving the resuscitation service of @ VilledAjaccio. @ EtatMajorFR @santearmees @ ARSCORSE1 pic.twitter.com/a2YsrtTsmc
- French Navy (@MarineNationale) March 22, 2020"It is obviously always difficult to see them leave for the families but it was an answer which was absolutely necessary", assured the Prefect of Corsica Franck Robine, recalling the "absolute necessity" that the Corsicans "stay at home" and "strict compliance with barrier gestures".
Some 200 sailors from the crew of the amphibious helicopter carrier, as well as mixed teams of civilian caregivers and the army health service are conducting this very delicate evacuation. "Once on board, the patients will be transferred to the hospital structures in Tonnerre," said a spokesman for the maritime prefecture of Toulon.
"Pride and humility"
"The crew of Tonnerre is crossed by two feelings, both a very legitimate pride to come to assist these populations and at the same time a humility of rigor taking into account the sensitivity of the crisis and the imperative to preserve these patients until their arrival in Marseille ”, told AFP its commander, Captain Arnaud Tranchant, in a press briefing.
The operation succeeds two Air Force “Morphée” missions, which made it possible to evacuate by military aircraft patients hospitalized in Alsace to less saturated regions.
Corsica, which has 340,000 inhabitants of which 94,000 are aged 60 and over according to INSEE, counted Sunday 173 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to health authorities. The epidemic has so far killed eight people and "a wave of increased cases of coronavirus" is expected in the coming days, said the prefect on Friday.
"Amphibious helicopter carriers are the Swiss army knives," the French Navy tweeted. Tonnerre is an "on-board hospital", underlined in a video broadcast by the Navy its commander Arnaud Tranchant. The army has reconfigured the building, "which is normally intended for war medicine", by installing resuscitation beds, he also said.
The helicopter carrier, which was used in particular after the passage of cyclone Irma in the West Indies, was also fitted out to "completely seal the hospital area, which will be in a vacuum, and the rest of the crew" added the soldier.
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