“We are already very, very short of staff” and now, “there will be an even greater workload, we will undoubtedly be called back even moreStella Zirnheld feared.
With her colleagues, this pulmonology nurse from the New Civil Hospital (NHC) in Strasbourg is fighting “for almost two years“in the face of successive waves of Covid-19.
In the Covid unit of the service of this 39-year-old caregiver, eight patients – including five unvaccinated – are currently hospitalized. Five more should be admitted by the weekend.
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On Wednesday, the Alsatian hospital launched its “white plan“, a measure which allows the deprogramming of non-urgent operations and soliciting staff reinforcements.
Sign that the 5th wave of Covid-19 is gaining ground in the region, the hospitals of Mulhouse and Colmar announced a similar measure on Tuesday: with now an incidence rate of 457 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the Haut-Rhin is currently the most affected territory in the Grand Est, slightly ahead of the Bas-Rhin (452) and far ahead of the national average (343), according to the latest data from the CovidTracker site.
– “Backwards” –
In Strasbourg, this is the third time since spring 2020 that the “white plan“is activated. During the first two,”we slept, we worked, we slept, we worked“Stella remembers.”We came frankly at one point backwards because it was war medicine“, confides the young woman.”This period, I really, really don’t want to relive it …”
“We feel the 5th wave coming“, warns Emmanuel Andrès, president of the Medical Commission for the establishment of the University Hospitals of Strasbourg (HUS).
For now the situation is manageable, “with around 80 patients (Covid) hospitalized for more than 2,000 beds“, explains the chief medical officer of the HUS. But this figure has doubled in a short time:”a week ago, we had 40, including 10 in intensive care“, against 20 in”sheave” today.
Added to this are the traditional end-of-year pathologies, such as the flu, swelling admissions: “usually there are about 180 adult emergency room admissions per day at this time“, explains Pr Andrès, also head of the internal doctor service of the HUS. There,”we are rather (around) 250 (…) For the moment, we manage to manage emergencies” Where “the + semi-emergencies + but it is at the cost of a lot of hardship for the teams“.
Activation of the “white plan“, “unfortunately it’s a sequence that we know well“, with caregivers who can be called back as reinforcements, sighs Frédéric de Blay, head of the pneumology department. Even if, this time, it is repeating itself”in an even more complicated situation than before“, with “big problems“lack of personnel.
– “Hopeless” –
What makes caregivers “sad“, “is to see unvaccinated people who still arrive“in the hospital. It’s really hopeless,” laments the pulmonologist.
“Nine out of 10 patients in intensive care are unvaccinated or do not have the complete regimen“, abounds Professor Andrès, according to which the appearance of the Omicron variant in France (three cases were discovered, including one in the Haut-Rhin) should not make us forget that our”primary objective“remains the Delta, facing which vaccination is”100% efficient“.
He insists on the importance of barrier gestures, rather little observed during the first days of the Strasbourg Christmas Market, inaugurated on Friday. “It worries us a lot“, he said, without commenting on the advisability of closing this popular event.
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After “almost two years“wrestling, Stella Zirnheld says, she feels”a lot of apprehension” and of “lassitude“. She also confides her anguish at having to relive the same periods”absolutely horrible” and “psychologically and physically“exhausting from the previous four waves.
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