Further medical personnel and oxygen provides are arriving on the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, that are scuffling with a surge in COVID-19 infections.
Sixty COVID-19 deaths had been recorded in hospitals in Guadeloupe since August 9 — out of a complete of 357 because the starting of the pandemic. The incidence fee has shot as much as 1,912 instances per 100,000 inhabitants with the Delta variant at the moment accounting for greater than 92% of latest instances.
On the college hospital, 40% of the beds are actually occupied by COVID sufferers, and the morgue is saturated, Director-Normal Gérard Cotellon informed AFP on Wednesday.
Almost 70 sufferers are in intensive care items with the regional well being company (ARS) flagging that 98% of them weren’t vaccinated.
In Martinique, the incidence fee stood at 1,148 instances per 100,000 inhabitants on Wednesday.
France’s Dumont d’Urville navy ship arrived on the island on Wednesday to ship greater than 100 tonnes of medical oxygen. The island is just not at the moment experiencing a scarcity of oxygen, however requested further provides to forestall attainable tensions, authorities stated.
The ship is because of go away on Thursday to produce Guadeloupe.
The 2 islands additionally welcomed greater than 100 healthcare employees from mainland France on Wednesday and extra reinforcements are anticipated on Friday, the well being ministry has stated.
Medical evacuations are additionally anticipated to be stepped up. That is “greater than essential to alleviate the providers of the college hospital” in Guadeloupe, the pinnacle of the native ARS, Valérie Denux, informed reporters.
In accordance with her, the well being ministry is at the moment finalising plans to switch eleven sufferers within the coming days.
At first of subsequent week, “we’ll do one other rotation after which we’ll speed up the medical evacuations in keeping with the wants as a result of the wave could be very robust and is catching up with us”, she added, anticipating a number of evacuations per week.
One other rotation is to be carried out originally of subsequent week. “Then we’ll speed up the medical evacuations in keeping with the wants as a result of the wave could be very robust and is catching up with us,” Denux stated.
Solely 20.9% of the grownup inhabitants in Guadeloupe is absolutely vaccinated. In Martinique, 19.94% of individuals aged over 12 are actually additionally absolutely protected.
Throughout the entire of France, 83% of adults have acquired a minimum of one dose and 73% are absolutely jabbed.
