- Sunday, the general direction of Health indicated that the number of deaths due to the coronavirus in France was in fall (357 in 24 hours against 441 the day before)
- The Paul d'Egine private hospital in Champigny-sur-Marne has been mobilizing for three weeks to welcome Covid-19 patients, including the most serious.
- "20 Minutes" spent the day with these caregivers who show a sense of humor in coping with a health crisis of which they cannot see the end.
At the Paul d'Egine hospital in Champigny-sur-Marne,
Flirting with the ceiling, Cathy raises her thumb as high as possible. And launched a thunderous "Goodbye Madame R.! Supervised by two paramedics at the other end of the corridor, the patient on a stretcher has no strength to breathe other than a tired "Thank you". But it comes from the bottom of my heart. "It's so good to see patients go out and go home," says the nurse. "You surprise me," replied her colleague Gwen. If we could, we'd kick them out the butt, right? And the two young women left in a huge laugh.
On the fourth floor of the Paul d'Egine hospital in Champigny-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne), good humor is still the best remedy to resist the coronavirus. In another life, the two young women were nurses in the visceral surgery department of this private hospital of the Ramsay group. It was a month ago. It was a century ago. Today, their service no longer exists. The rooms are occupied by patients from Covid-19. And they learned to live with it. Put two pairs of overshoes on their white sneakers. To protect their bun from a charlotte. And send text messages through the freezer bag that permanently houses their smartphone. To prevent the spread of the virus.
Hope to see two unoccupied beds for a few hours
“Frankly, we are extremely tired. But you won't find anyone here to complain. As long as there are patients… ”, Cathy says without needing to finish her sentence. So it may last. Sunday, the Directorate General of Health said that the number of deaths from coronavirus in France was down (357 in 24 hours against 441 the day before). But to Paul d'Egine, no one would dare pretend to be out of the woods.
"I don't know," admits Artus de Saint-Pern, the managing director. Last week, we refused transfers because we were full. And it's true that for the past two days, we have managed to have one or two unoccupied beds for a few hours during the day before other patients arrive… ”This is only true for the rooms housing the least serious cases . The two intensive care units of eight beds each, for their part, are almost completely full.
Cancer patients infected in hospital
They were created from scratch. Health crisis obliges: the hospital has deprogrammed all non-vital operations. Staff arrived from Lille, Biarritz or La Rochelle. Sixty-two rooms were reserved for the least affected patients. And some nurses were sent outside to learn the resuscitation work. "In 24 hours, we considered that they were trained! Explains the director.
Only the emergency, dialysis and oncology services remained. Not without drama ... "Some patients treated for cancer died from Covid-19," deplores Artus de Saint-Pern. These are collateral victims who have been contaminated within our walls. Right now, we are worried about the dialysis service where five out of forty patients are affected… In the end, they could all catch it… ”
Drug stocks dwindle
And unfortunately, the worries add up. Thus, on the first floor, that of Florence relates to what was previously its operating theater. Today, a tarp has been stapled from floor to ceiling to demarcate the caregivers' office! Direct view of the most serious patients, most of whom are overweight. Lined up in rows of onions next to the respirators. All immersed in an artificial coma. They must be turned over every twelve or fourteen hours, the position on the stomach improving their breathing.
"But not everyone will survive," assumes Florence, one of the nurses. And what scares me is that we don't have room to welcome the other patients who are coming. The second wave… ”Nathalie, for her part, took advantage of the coffee break to wonder about how to get digital tablets. "At Massy hospital, they have it to maintain contact between patients and their families," she explains. I couldn't bear to see two patients die this weekend without having received a call from their loved ones ... "
#coronavirus #ContainmentDay21
"We are asked to pray through a window ..." In @ 20Minutes, this Monday, zoom in on the precious and complicated work of chaplains of all faiths in hospitals overwhelmed by # Covid_19 https://t.co/ LEZwro4OWs
The prospect of a party once it's all over
The other emergency concerns medication. “We must have two or three days left of curare and hypnovel (anesthetic products), confesses Artus de Saint-Pern. Beyond that, I don't know how we are going to do it… ”But every day is enough for his pain. And on this Monday, the director prefers to retain the boxes of visors that a neighboring company designed with a 3D printer and sent to caregivers.
Our file on the coronavirus
"There is such a surge of solidarity, it's incredible," says Gwen. We are constantly receiving pastries, pizzas, pastries. What to calmly contemplate a big party when everything is finished. The director promised it. "Oh yes, a big barbecue," suggests Sabrina the nursing assistant. At this mention, Nicolas the emergency physician advises his shapeless suit inherited from a public works company. "I wonder if I could not wear it in a nightclub," he laughs. Before pausing. A new masked patient has just arrived in the tent specially set up in the parking lot to sort out new arrivals. "We have to go," says the doctor. Yes. Roll on the party…
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