First medical evacuation of a northern patient outside France

The patient was transferred by helicopter to Germany (illustration).

-

• A Covid + patient was transferred from Valenciennes to Germany by helicopter.

• It is the first medical evacuation outside France from Hauts-de-France.

• The ARS specifies that other transfers of the same type could occur soon.

Sunday morning, the intensive care unit of the Valenciennes hospital center, in the North, transferred one of its Covid + patients to a hospital in Germany, we learned from the Regional Health Agency (ARS).

This is the first medical evacuation outside France of a patient from the Hauts-de-France region.

The patient with Covid-19 was taken care of this Sunday morning by the Samu teams at the Valenciennes hospital center.

It was taken to hospital in Münster, Germany, by helicopter.

The ARS confirms that this is indeed the first transfer of this type in the context of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Other transfers from Hauts-de-France to Germany could be made in the coming days,” adds the ARS.

65% of the region's intensive care beds are occupied

However, while stressing that the epidemic situation had deteriorated significantly in the region, the ARS insists that this transfer does not take place due to a saturation of local intensive care services.

The Agency rather highlights "the tensions on hospital human resources" and "the continuous increase in hospitalizations".

To date, 278 people are hospitalized in intensive care in the North, for a total of 488 in all Hauts-de-France according to figures from Public Health France.

That is more than 65% of the capacity of the resuscitation services in the region, which is 747 beds to date.

For this first medical evacuation outside France, the patient was sent to Germany because the German authorities proposed "to dedicate intensive care beds to the reception of French patients", explains the ARS.

However, there have already been transfers of patients between hospitals in the region.

"There are already two waves of transfers of ten patients each time from the north to the Hauts-de-France", assures the ARS at

.

Eight people were notably helicoptered between the Lille University Hospital and the Amiens hospital.

Society

Coronavirus: First transfers of patients from the Grand-Est to Germany

Health

Coronavirus: The death rate in intensive care reached 31% between the end of February and the beginning of May

• Society

• Covid 19

• Coronavirus