“The mobilization of personnel is absolutely complete and the system manages to hold”, assured, on Wednesday, the Minister of Health.
Mo12345lemonde with AFP
The “week of all dangers”. This is how François Braun qualified, Wednesday, December 28, on the coming days for the French health system. Already weakened by a lack of enrollment, it has faced a “triple epidemic” of Covid-19, bronchiolitis and influenza for a few weeks, with an acceleration of contaminations.
The Minister of Health made a visit to the Annecy Geneva hospital center on Wednesday morning (Haute-Savoie), affected, he said, as the entire French system by difficulties, in particular by a lack of staff , still “increased with proximity to Switzerland”, where many French caregivers choose to practice.
“In this triple epidemic, we arrive at a slightly calmer phase with regard to covid and bronchiolitis,” he explained before the press: the coronavirus “circulates less”, while the level of infection remains “very high” for bronchiolitis, “but will improve”. “On the other hand”, for the flu, “there is an explosion of cases, with also serious cases, which make that the resuscitation services in a global way are saturated,” he said. “This week is a bit of a week of all dangers, but the mobilization of staff is absolutely complete and the system manages to hold,” he said.
the fear of a rebound epidemic after the holidays
François Braun, who was already expressed in this direction last week, also deplored the strike movement of general practitioners at the national level, and liberal nurses in Haute-Savoie, which he finds “particularly unwelcome in this period of extreme difficulty for the health system “.
“My door has always remained open and it will remain so to solve the problems,” added the minister, who notably visited the emergency department and participated in a round table with officials and caregivers of the hospital, Directors of other health establishments and elected officials.
Recalling the French the need to be careful in this holiday season marked by reunions, Mr. Braun said “to fear an epidemic rebound in January. “So vaccination is still topical with regard to flu, as well as wearing the mask in closed places and hand washing, of course,” he insisted.