Mulhouse is one of the French cities hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. For several weeks, the hospital center teams have been overwhelmed in the face of the influx of patients, to the point that a military field hospital has been installed nearby. But caregivers have seen a glimmer of hope in recent days, including fewer new emergency patients.
"It is good for everyone, everyone has a hope of improving the situation," said the head of the emergency department, Dr Marc Noizet, on Wednesday during a press conference. But the hospital teams remain cautious, fearing a new upsurge in the epidemic.
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Tension drops in the ER ...
The caregivers counted Wednesday morning only three patients in the emergency rooms against fifteen usually lately. "We are afraid of being disappointed, it may just be a false rebound between two waves," said an emergency doctor, interviewed by Europe 1.
On Tuesday, activity at center 15 was the lowest in 30 days. Blood pressure has also dropped in the emergency room for about four days, and intubations are slightly fewer. For the past month, 400 cured patients have been able to return home. "It makes you smile, it's good for your morale," said the emergency chief.
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… But the resuscitation service is always full
The glimmer of hope is real, but Mulhouse is still facing the storm. The resuscitation service, with 56 beds, is always full, as is the parking lot for the military field hospital, located right next to the hospital center. In addition, 300 caregivers are on arrest for coronavirus or for suspicion, and four of them in intensive care.
The Haut-Rhin, more broadly, needs to evacuate 15 patients every day in intensive care. For the moment, the pace of these evacuations remains sustained, in particular thanks to the army: six patients were thus able to be transferred this Wednesday by plane to Toulouse. But for this ray of hope to turn into relief, we will have to wait several weeks.
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