Five of the sixteen Caledonians who have tested positive for coronavirus have been receiving chloroquine treatment for the past few days. In Noumea, doctors and elected officials specify however that this treatment “Has not proven to be effective” and can, if used outside hospital structures, prove to be dangerous for patients.
Five patients in isolation at Koutio CHT, near Noumea, have started to receive tablets of hydroxychloroquine (the basic molecule of Plaquenil) to help them fight their infection with the covid-19 virus. The beneficiaries of the treatment are all volunteers, have been chosen ” case by case “, through a strict protocol corresponding to national recommendations, specifies the Caledonian government. Its president Thierry Santa indicated yesterday that ” this treatment is not a panacea because it can cause side effects “, but that he “Trusted the hospital staff to treat patients the best and make the right decisions”. Caledonian authorities – like all world experts, including Professor Didier Raoult – warn against self-medication.
Containment and barrier gestures “work a hundred times better than treatment”
In the Caledonian News, Doctor Jad Kerbaj, doctor at CHT Gaston-Bourret, reminds us that this is by no means a miracle treatment. “I repeat, it has not yet proven its effectiveness, insists the infectious disease specialist. China, which is four months ahead of us, has treated many patients without finding the miracle cure. Maybe it works, but even if it’s there, it will be partial. ”. If the New Caledonia hospital does not formally participate in clinical tests conducted on chloroquine, it is closely monitoring the results of the Discovery study, launched by the French and European authorities on different types of treatment for coronavirus. “I know that people absolutely want to take treatment. But stay at home, make barrier gestures, don’t go out unless you have to, it works a hundred times better than the treatments ”, advises the specialist.
Lots of screenings, few cases
New Caledonia is also suffering from the coronavirus epidemic, but can welcome a rather light assessment since the start of the crisis. Despite the significant screening effort deployed on the Caillou (129 tests in yesterday alone compared to 483 in more than 3 weeks in Polynesia), only 16 positive cases have been detected. All are placed in isolation at the Koutio hospital center. The government announced earlier this week that a recovered patient has been able to return home. Another has been placed in intensive care since yesterday. He would be part of the group treated with chloroquine for a few days.
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