“Patients are less inclined to wear a maskwe see some in the waiting room who come without masks, we distribute them”observes Dr. Urfan Ashraf, secretary general of SOS Médecins.
“Barrier gestures, the reflex of hand washing, hydroalcoholic solutions, ventilation, are less recent times: these are part of the elements of transmission”he told AFP.
But other factors are at play.
The end-of-year holiday period increased contacts at a time when local doctors’ offices were closed, reducing the supply of care at a time when demand was increasing.
Furthermore two strains of influenza coexist, A (H1N1) and B (Victoria)while they usually follow one another, and a third increases in power, A (H3N2).
This phenomenon reinforces the circulation of the virus, which also affects patients this year “younger than usual, older children and adults up to 50 years old”according to virologist Bruno Lina.
This patient profile increases the demand for care, believes Dr Ashraf. “Very significant aches, headaches, dizziness, muscle and joint pain, chills, fever that rises to 40, it can be impressive for someone who is not used to it”.
“Sometimes the patient says to himself ‘I’m coping well, I’m going to ask the pharmacy for advice’. But when he tolerates all these symptoms badly, his reflex is: ‘I need a doctor'”he said.
Vaccination coverage “still low”
The winter flu epidemic, which usually lasts ten to twelve weeks, intensified at the beginning of January and is causing hospitalizations at an “exceptionally high” level compared to previous seasons, Public Health France (SpF) observed on Wednesday.
The number of flu-related deaths, mainly among those over 65, has increased.
To protect against this, the authorities regularly remind us that vaccination remains the most effective, particularly against serious forms of influenza and Covid-19.
It is recommended for people aged 65 and over, immunocompromised people, infants over 6 months old with comorbidities, pregnant women and residents of medico-social establishments.
-However, this season, “the vaccination campaign got off to a very difficult start”observes Philippe Besset, president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France, recalling that the flu is “deadly for fragile people”.
In retirement homes, “there is no massive peak of the epidemic”tempers Jean-Christophe Amarantinis, president of the main union of private nursing homes, Synerpa.
More “we must encourage staff and residents to be vaccinated and respect barrier gestures“notes Pierre Roux, president of the Association of Directors serving the Elderly, explaining: “We try to do education”.
“Unfortunately, the dunce cap falls on caregivers, even though they are in contact with patients and can transmit viruses”regrets Mr. Besset.
If vaccination coverage should “be a little better than last year”she remains “weak” with some 10.3 million doses distributed so far, he said.
A “white plan” triggered
Faced with lagging vaccination against flu and Covid and before an end of the year conducive to epidemics, the health authorities called at the end of November to “increased mobilization”.
Et “we can still get vaccinated throughout the month of January“, underlines Mr. Besset.
“When we look at emergency room arrivals and in particular the cases of complications, more than 70% of them are people who are not vaccinated and who are eligible people”insisted the Minister in charge of Health Catherine Vautrin on Europe 1/CNews Friday morning.
Faced with the influx of patients in their emergency departments, 87 French hospitals have triggered a “white plan”, a system which allows certain operations to be deprogrammed or staff to be recalled from leaveaccording to the figure communicated Friday by the Ministry of Health.
Wearing a mask has once again become compulsory in the hospital centers of Abbeville, Libourne (Gironde), Lisieux (Calvados), Le Havre or Calais.
Five years after the Covid pandemic, wearing a mask is still not a widespread reflex: more than four in ten French people said they never wear one, even if they have symptoms, according to an SpF study published in mid-October.
