Coronavirus in France: general practitioners attack the State

Text by: RFI Follow

The French Ministry of Health has announced the availability of 10 million surgical masks for general practitioners. But three of them attack the state to obtain FFP2 masks, which are more protective against the new coronavirus.

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As the coronavirus continues to grow in France, a controversy arises on the issue of protective masks. Three general practitioners have filed a complaint against the state to have FFP2 masks supplied to all the liberal doctors practicing in the territory. " In the current state of knowledge, the French Society of Hospital Hygiene recommends for the operational management of a patient the wearing of a FFP2 respiratory protection device by checking the tightness of the face for any carer before taking in charge of a patient, ”notes Me Fabrice Di Vizio, their lawyer.

Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that the French state will requisition " all stocks and the production of protective masks " for distribution to carers and people with coronavirus. The Ministry of Health has announced that 10 million surgical masks will be made available to health professionals in all pharmacies in the country. Between 15 and 20 million additional masks will arrive " as the need arises, " said Minister Olivier Véran.

But unions of liberal doctors have demanded that masks with a high level of protection (called FFP2) be urgently distributed to these caregivers. They argue that surgical masks, primarily intended for a patient not to infect other people, are not enough to protect doctors.

If the complainants succeed, the State will be obliged to provide FFP2 masks to all the general practitioners practicing in France.

285 cases in France

Thirteen French regions are now affected by the new coronavirus and Guyana has reported its first cases. The assessment established this Wednesday reports 285 people infected, 73 more than yesterday. Fifteen of them are in serious condition. The number of deaths has not changed: it remains at 4. The largest focus of grouped cases remains Oise, which has 99 cases.

In Haute-Savoie, the commune of La Balme, near Annecy, has 30 confirmed cases. Contamination was also detected in a group of tourists returning from Egypt. Morbihan has 14 cases, one more. Ten people are infected in the Haut-Rhin, after contamination during a religious rally in Mulhouse, two weeks ago. Seven regions report at least ten cases: Auvergne-Rhône Alpes, Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Brittany, Grand Est, Ile-de-France and Hauts-de-France.

On the filtering materials of surgical masks, everyone tells us that all production capacities are taken by China until June, July, or even September according to the manufacturers.

French manufacturers of pressure masks

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• France
• coronavirus
• Health and Medicine

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