the flu is wreaking havoc, the white plan triggered in certain hospitals

The Occitanie region is now in its fourth epidemic week. As everywhere in France, the flu virus circulates very actively. On the front line, health personnel: emergency rooms, doctors, pharmacies. On the business side too, we are organizing ourselves to limit absenteeism.

In the Lafayette de l’Union pharmacy near Toulouse, all pharmacists wear masks. An image which echoes the Covid-19 epidemic, which began almost five years ago, but which this time is due to another coronavirus, that of the flu.

“It is more virulent this year, assures Antoine Rifflart, pharmacist. Fever peaks are a little stronger. People are really not well, they are quite feverish when you see them arriving.“

Here, requests for flu vaccinations have increased by 15%, and tests are continuing. The pharmacy is often the first reflex for sick patients. “”If there is an epidemic peak, it can saturate the entire health system, continues Antoine Rifflart. The idea is that people come to us first so as not to overwhelm the doctors..”

But the effects are already being felt on other health professionals. At SOS Médecins, half of the calls now concern the virus.

On the hospital side, the white plan has been triggered Thursday January 9 in Toulouse. On average, the emergency rooms of the pink city welcome 400 patients per day, compared to 350 usually. An increase clearly attributed to the flu, with around fifty patients per day presenting symptoms.

Thus, the white plan allows hospitals to reorganize the management of human, material and logistical resources to ensure patient care. Staff are mobilized, even during their leave, and certain non-urgent operations can be canceled.

In its daily report of January 8, 2025, Public Health France speaks of increasing influenza activity, with an intensity “exceptionally high in hospital“.

On the business side, the main symptom of the flu is absenteeism. Each year, on average, the virus costs France around 1 billion euros, half of which are costs linked to absences in companies (replacements, loss of earnings, overtime, etc.).

In addition to the return of the mask, hydroalcoholic gel and barrier gestures, some companies choose teleworking to limit contamination. Within the Lafayette pharmacy group, employees even have access to a telemedicine terminal. Enough to benefit from a remote consultation with a doctor at the slightest symptom.

For Stéphane Salinski, general director of the group, “this allows you to reassure yourself, or to access a prescription and medication if necessary. The terminal clearly has a positive impact on the absenteeism rate, or even the cluster risk.“

The flu epidemic peak, in Occitanie as in the rest of France, should be reached next week.