Taravao Hospital has been in a just-in-time situation since the outbreak of the Delta variant of the covid. Every day, the four fire stations of the peninsula parade to the emergency room.
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No respite for the emergencies of Taravao since the outbreak of the Delta variant. Patients arrive from all over the peninsula. The hospital’s covid zone is limited to three boxes and the reception of patients is regularly bottled:
People are understanding, they know to be patient. The wait is not in minutes, but in hours. But each time, they will be taken.
“Completely saturated“
To date, Taravao Hospital is “completely saturated in terms of hospitalizations. Out of ten open beds, we have eleven patients. Activity fluctuates from minute to minute“worries the director.
With 17 less nursing staff, the emergencies and the covid block in Taravao operate with only two doctors, a nurse and a nursing assistant:
We do not have a double team to be able to ensure a correct activity in emergencies, in good conditions.
The situation is unprecedented for the small structure of the Taravao hospital where there is no intensive care unit – the director must decide quickly for serious cases.
Firefighters on the front line
Firefighters are also witnesses to the scale of this pandemic every day, which sometimes even affects members of their families:
For two weeks, we have only transported covid patients. It’s full. Sometimes you see families who are suffering.
On alert 24 hours a day, they are morally affected. Especially since they are understaffed, since many colleagues are also positive for covid.
Taravao hospital deplores six deaths to date. It has reached its maximum capacity of thirty covid and non-covid patients. The director is already planning to add marquees to accommodate additional patients.
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