As the peak approaches, and obviously it is not yet in the next few days, tension continues to rise throughout the health system. In the space of 48 hours, the number of hospitals forced to switch to a white plan has multiplied. There were a little more than 35 on Wednesday morning, there are now practically 90, including 8 in Lorraine.
The white plan, which is nothing other than a crisis system, aims to mobilize all means, immediately, to deal with a massive influx of patients or an exceptional health situation. It results in particular in the rescheduling of non-essential surgical procedures and the recall of staff on leave. The wave of flu currently affecting France therefore requires activating this system on a large scale.
The infection does not spare vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those under 15, and those whose immune defenses are particularly weakened. The sharp increase in cases deemed serious is even pushing the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) to sound the alarm. That of the Grand Est, faced with the explosion of patients and the congestion of emergencies, precipitated a press conference this Friday. The watchwords are plural. Respect for barrier gestures, wearing a mask in busy places and a massive call for VA-CCI-NA-TION! The same is true in Franche-Comté where tension has not been so strong since the Covid crisis.
The concern is all the greater as the virus continues to develop and claim victims. The ARS of the Grand Est thus recognizes the opening of an investigation to verify whether two children from the Vosges, aged respectively 13 and 3 years old, died of the flu. To try to stem the progression of the virus, vaccination centers are also about to be opened in several regions, including Lorraine.
