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5th epidemic wave: the CHUM already under tension
By Faustine Le Guillard 01/10/2022 - 12:20 • Updated 01/10/2022 - 10:59
An incidence rate of 835 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and more than 4,000 cases at the end of last week, Martinique is facing an explosion of the Covid-19 epidemic, spurred on by the Omicron variant. Will the hospital, battered by previous epidemic peaks, be able to cope with this new wave?
The 4th wave, particularly deadly in Martinique with more than 600 deaths, is now giving way, without real respite, to the 5th and its variant Omicron. A very contagious variant which represented 50% of contaminations at the end of last week, but which risks, as in France, becoming the majority very quickly.
Indeed, this variant is, according to recent studies, three times more contagious than the delta variant of Covid-19, itself twice as contagious than the previous variant. Today, in France, it concerns 80 to 100% of contaminations.
Each week, the CHUM admits nearly 60 Covid patients and transfers around 20 to intensive care. Patients whose profile does not change. A very large majority of them are still unvaccinated, or with an incomplete vaccination schedule, and suffer from co-morbidities.
Will the Martinican hospital care system withstand this hellish pace?
Around 100 patients are now hospitalized, including around 40 in intensive care, which translates into 120% strain on critical care at the CHUM. Services also saturated by the absence of 10 to 15% of nursing staff for sick leave or mobilized against the vaccine obligation.
There are therefore many questions for the weeks to come. The CHUM fears the rise of this new epidemic wave and a congestion of its services, as it experienced during the summer holidays. In addition, given the situation in France, the reinforcements and medical evacuations which had helped the caregivers during the 4th wave, will not be there for this 5th wave.
The next two weeks will therefore be decisive to have a clearer idea of the extent of this epidemic wave.
Doctor Emmanuel Gordien, head of the virology department at the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny, also a member of the Covid Urgence Outremer collective is worried and hopes that the Omicron variant, "is as little virulent in us as what we see in Europe" .
He warns about the studies carried out on a population for the majority, a complete vaccination schedule, with a third dose, which according to him, "very strongly increased the level of antibodies and made it possible to limit the infection by Omicron ".
What will happen to Martinique? Doctor Gordien recalls that the diseases frequent in our territories, such as diabetes, obesity or simple overweight but also renal failure weaken the population, even in the face of a less virulent variant.
5th epidemic wave: the CHUM already under tension
By Faustine Le Guillard 01/10/2022 - 12:20 • Updated 01/10/2022 - 10:59
An incidence rate of 835 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and more than 4,000 cases at the end of last week, Martinique is facing an explosion of the Covid-19 epidemic, spurred on by the Omicron variant. Will the hospital, battered by previous epidemic peaks, be able to cope with this new wave?
The 4th wave, particularly deadly in Martinique with more than 600 deaths, is now giving way, without real respite, to the 5th and its variant Omicron. A very contagious variant which represented 50% of contaminations at the end of last week, but which risks, as in France, becoming the majority very quickly.
Indeed, this variant is, according to recent studies, three times more contagious than the delta variant of Covid-19, itself twice as contagious than the previous variant. Today, in France, it concerns 80 to 100% of contaminations.
Each week, the CHUM admits nearly 60 Covid patients and transfers around 20 to intensive care. Patients whose profile does not change. A very large majority of them are still unvaccinated, or with an incomplete vaccination schedule, and suffer from co-morbidities.
Will the Martinican hospital care system withstand this hellish pace?
Around 100 patients are now hospitalized, including around 40 in intensive care, which translates into 120% strain on critical care at the CHUM. Services also saturated by the absence of 10 to 15% of nursing staff for sick leave or mobilized against the vaccine obligation.
There are therefore many questions for the weeks to come. The CHUM fears the rise of this new epidemic wave and a congestion of its services, as it experienced during the summer holidays. In addition, given the situation in France, the reinforcements and medical evacuations which had helped the caregivers during the 4th wave, will not be there for this 5th wave.
The next two weeks will therefore be decisive to have a clearer idea of the extent of this epidemic wave.
Doctor Emmanuel Gordien, head of the virology department at the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny, also a member of the Covid Urgence Outremer collective is worried and hopes that the Omicron variant, "is as little virulent in us as what we see in Europe" .
He warns about the studies carried out on a population for the majority, a complete vaccination schedule, with a third dose, which according to him, "very strongly increased the level of antibodies and made it possible to limit the infection by Omicron ".
What will happen to Martinique? Doctor Gordien recalls that the diseases frequent in our territories, such as diabetes, obesity or simple overweight but also renal failure weaken the population, even in the face of a less virulent variant.
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