The opinion of the scientific council is relentless: it is "essential to extend confinement" in France, possibly up to "at least six weeks". While the threshold of 1,000 deaths from coronavirus has been exceeded in the country, Olivier Véran stressed that the six weeks were at this stage only an "estimate"
"The confinement will probably last at least six weeks from its establishment" on March 17, writes the Council, which also says "consider it necessary to strengthen the confinement", without commenting on the exact terms.
Three weeks before the containment efficiency can be measured
“The scientific council expressed itself by giving an estimate. They said: maybe we need to prepare for the confinement to last beyond 15 days (minimum duration initially announced), we know, but maybe it could extend to a date further away from 5 or 6 weeks once again, great caution, "tempered the Minister of Health. "If we have the possibility of lifting the containment earlier, we will obviously do it," he insisted, reiterating that the Council's opinion was "an estimate among others".
In their opinion, dated March 23, Council members still believe that "containment is currently the only really operational strategy, the alternative of a large-scale screening and isolation policy for detected persons not being for the time being feasible on a national scale. Containment must be strictly implemented and have the broad support of the population, as this seems to be the case ”. Regarding its effectiveness, they also stress that "three weeks (...) are necessary to obtain a first estimate of its impact".
The threshold of 1,000 dead exceeded, concern in the Ehpad
According to the assessment of health authorities on Tuesday evening, 1,100 deaths (+240 in 24 hours, a higher) have been recorded in the hospital since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic and 2,516 patients were on Tuesday evening in intensive care (+ 434) out of a total of 10,176 hospitalized patients. The cumulative death curve, which doubles approximately every 2.5 days in France, continues to closely follow that of Italy.
NEW: Tuesday 24 March update of our coronavirus mortality trajectories tracker
• US curve began gently, but is rapidly picking up pace
• US & Spain look likely to become next epicentres as death tolls soar in both
Live version FREE TO READ here: https://t.co/VcSZISFxzF pic.twitter.com/g3pamZpLDl
And again, deaths in hospitals "represent only a small part of mortality" in the country, noted Professor Jérôme Salomon, Director General of Health, citing the other place of high mortality that are Ehpad. A “daily monitoring of mortality” in these establishments for the elderly will also be implemented. The toll is particularly cruel in retirement homes: 16 deaths in an establishment in Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne), seven in an Ehpad in Haute-Savoie, 20 in another in the Vosges.
In the East, mobilization is increasing to relieve hospitals: a first patient was admitted to the army field hospital in Mulhouse and around thirty others will be evacuated by TGV on Wednesday to relieve Alsace, the region most affected by coronavirus.
This "medical TGV", a first in Europe, will be used for the first time to transfer patients from Strasbourg and Mulhouse to regions less affected by the epidemic, announced Olivier Véran before the deputies. Emmanuel Macron will go to the army field hospital in Mulhouse on Wednesday "to pay tribute to the nursing staff" and "to show his solidarity with the Grand Est region, which has been badly affected" by the coronavirus crisis.
World
Coronavirus: With an "astronomical" number of cases and overwhelmed emergency doctors, New York is preparing for the worst
Health
Coronavirus: Protocol, risks… The questions raised by Pr Raoult's experiment on chloroquine
- Emmanuel Macron
- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Society