Doctor Pierre Kalfon, head of the resuscitation service at Chartres hospital, believes that there are “still too many people at risk who are not vaccinated”. The patients he receives in his unit are “younger and more severely affected than in previous waves”.
What is the current situation in the intensive care unit at Chartres hospital?
We have six patients hospitalized for Covid for eight beds currently open in intensive care. Normally, we have twelve intensive care beds and six continuous monitoring beds, or eighteen critical care beds.
At Chartres hospital, the head of the intensive care unit fears “an extremely problematic month of April” (April 2021)
During the third wave, last April, we went up to twenty-four critical care beds. We had fears in early August as activity was on the rise, but it didn’t last. We were able to close beds for upkeep and maintenance and this allowed staff to take time off.
Has the profile of the patients you see in intensive care changed?
They are younger and more severely affected than in previous waves. One of our patients has been hospitalized in the department since the end of July. This accredits the analysis of the scientific literature which shows that infection with Covid-19 due to the Delta variant is not only more contagious, but also more virulent. Hence the importance of protecting yourself and being vaccinated.
The six patients currently in intensive care are all on invasive mechanical ventilation.
–
Were these six patients vaccinated against Covid-19?
None were vaccinated. More broadly, since early August, none of the patients admitted to intensive care at Chartres hospital had been vaccinated. It is quite rare for fully vaccinated people to be hospitalized for Covid. Vaccination is absolutely essential to avoid serious forms of this pathology.
A new vaccination center opens its doors in the town of Saint-Denis-Lanneray
Are all unvaccinated patients in the same state of mind?
These are not all patients who would be presented by some as fierce antivax. For a few, it is sometimes a bit of neglect. Others say they prefer to wait until vaccination is compulsory for a particular activity, without being absolutely braced on an anti-vaccine position.
“I feel sorry for these patients who are not vaccinated and who undergo a difficult hospitalization in intensive care with a more severe pathology than before. It’s a little sad for them. They are there, so we take care of them well. obviously.”
Doctor Pierre Kalfon (head of the intensive care unit at Chartres hospital)
–
Is the fourth wave ebbing?
We are following the projections of the Institut Pasteur and we see that the peak has indeed been reached. I’m not a guesser, there may be new variants, but the incidence is declining for the moment. But patients stay in the hospital longer, so it continues to weigh on the hospital.
If we want to minimize the risk of having significant blood pressure again by the end of 2021, it is better for the vaccination rate to be as high as possible.
–
Have we reached the glass ceiling?
It’s up to sociologists to say it, but there are still too many people at risk who are not vaccinated. The vaccination rate should be further increased.
Vaccination during school time: what system is in place in Eure-et-Loir?
Interview by Hélène Bonnet
– .
