Yasmina Kattou 6:30 am, January 04, 2022

Due to the unprecedented wave of contaminations which hit France in recent weeks, pressure is intensifying on hospital services.

Some have already activated stage 5 of the white plan.

Others are calling on their services to deprogram operations to cope with the influx of Covid patients.

The tension in French hospitals is maximum. "Of the 400,000 medical beds in our hospitals today, 20,000 are already occupied by Covid patients even before the impact of the Omicron wave," said Minister of Health Olivier Véran on Monday on France Inter. To this figure must be added all the other patients who occupy intensive care beds.

Out of 6,370 resuscitation beds available at time T in France, 91% are occupied by Covid or non-Covid patients.

The margin is therefore slim.

In Corsica, for example, according to the latest figures, there was no longer any free bed in intensive care at Bastia hospital last Friday.

Two patients had to be transferred to Brittany.

In the Paca region there were also several medical evacuations.

The occupancy rate of critical care beds is currently 108%.

The initial capacities have been exceeded.

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Hospitals called on to deprogram operations

To continue to welcome patients in the Paca region on level 5, the maximum level of white plans has been activated. This allows caregivers from other departments to be assigned to hospital Covid-related activity. Operations deemed non-essential are also deprogrammed. Thanks to this lever of the white plan, 160 additional beds could be opened in the Paca region.

In Ile-de-France, within a few days, 50% of the beds available in intensive care will be occupied by Covid patients.

To increase reception capacity, the Ile-de-France regional health agency has asked hospitals to deprogram as many activities as possible.

Nationally, an average of 1,600 new patients are hospitalized for Covid every day.

A constantly rising figure, which should not decrease since the incidence rate of 50-59 year olds has sharply increased.

This age group is the most likely to end up hospitalized.