Paris (AFP)

From pulmonology to intensive care, the Covid-19 is again overflowing everywhere at Cochin hospital, where we are already building the dark scenario of a "super crisis" hoping that the government will announce Thursday evening "measures to certain effectiveness ".

Once again, the virus is cannibalizing the hospital.

In pulmonology, a third of the 60 beds are occupied by Covid patients with severe respiratory failure.

"We pull on the elastic, for the moment it does not break", reassures Professor Nicolas Roche, head of this service whose usual activity (consultations, fibroscopies) is slowing down.

"We have reached the maximum of what we can do without having a major impact on the quality and quantity of the care we can offer", he says, but "we have the impression that the breaking point is not far away".

Sign that does not deceive: his last admissions all came from Seine-Saint-Denis, a neighboring department under-endowed and already submerged before the others during the previous epidemic waves.

With nearly 5,900 Covid patients hospitalized in Île-de-France - including more than 1,100 in intensive care - the Paris region is at the heart of concerns and new restrictions are expected at the press conference of the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

"Something must happen so that the pressure can come down," said Professor Roche, fearing the moment when "everyone will find themselves under maximum tension".

Its health manager Karine Colin, she "is worried" to fill the schedules of the service, because "many caregivers leave and are not replaced at the present time".

Those who remain are "motivated but tired", after "a year in the Covid".

The health crisis "weighs on the morale" of the teams, who "have the impression of being overwhelmed for a long time," she adds.

- "Not science fiction" -

However, the worst may be yet to come.

According to the director of Public Assistance-Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP), resuscitations in Ile-de-France could accommodate “between 2,000 and 2,800 patients” in early April.

A "super crisis" scenario for which the management of Cochin hospital is already preparing.

Currently, the establishment has 44 "Covid sheave" beds, at the cost of heavy sacrifices: 35% of surgical operations have been "deprogrammed", specifies Professor Alain Cariou.

The crisis medical director is considering the different options to double this critical care capacity.

"This is anticipation, not science fiction. Whatever action is taken, there is bound to be a worsening in the next two or three weeks," he said.

All the more reason to "take decisions now which will have a certain effectiveness", without the prudence which has prevailed until now at the top of the State.

"Today the margin is far too low for us to take the risk that it does not work. We no longer have the means to wait," he insists.

The English variant has speeded up vaccination, which mainly protects the elderly.

Consequence: in intensive care, Covid patients are "ten years younger than those of the first wave", observes Professor Frédéric Pène.

The twelve patients in his unit are between 53 and 73 years old this morning, like this 69-year-old man under extracorporeal oxygenation, whose heart and lungs are replaced by a machine.

"We always have extremely serious patients", relativizes the resuscitator, who notes, however, that the last admitted have "not much history, sometimes no comorbidities and fairly moderate overweight".

Profiles so far less frequent, which do not fare better than the others: "When they are intubated, we go for a long time ..."

© 2021 AFP