Ten cases confirmed as of March 21. According to the latest epidemiological bulletin from the Regional Health Agency (ARS), published Sunday evening, Charente remains the department least affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus epidemic in New Aquitaine.
The ARS deplores a new death linked to the coronavirus in the region, in Deux-Sèvres, “which brings to 8 the total number of deaths in New Aquitaine because of Covid-19 since the beginning of the epidemic”.
The epidemiological bulletin does not mention the death in Charente of an 87-year-old person who died in Girac on Saturday, according to the “Charente Libre” site.
10 cases in Charente against 106 in Gironde, 65 in Lot-et-Garonne or 49 in Charente-Maritime… Please note, these figures must be interpreted with the greatest caution. ARS warns:
The evolution of confirmed cases and their distribution in the departments are intended to give a trend […]. Thus, the actual number of people with coronavirus is higher. However, monitoring these figures allows us to observe the evolution of the epidemic and an overview of the proportions of cases by department. “
ARS specifies that these statistics are only “a reflection of the confirmed results of PCR analyzes” (a molecular biology technique) from the authorized laboratories. She adds, finally, that the figures “do not take into account the cases of Covid-19 identified by city medicine but not tested”.
Criteria applied with the utmost rigor
Screenings are now reserved for four categories of patients:
- people deemed fragile;
- the first two people with evocative symptoms in medico-social structures, notably retirement homes;
- hospitalized people;
- health professionals.
These criteria are applied with the utmost rigor. In “South West”, we received the testimony of an agent of a retirement home judged “symptomatic patient” by the city medicine but not enough “symptomatic” by the regulation at 15. This agent, worried, does not has not been tested. He expressed his surprise on Friday to the health authorities and awaits a response.
Finally, you should know that the ARS no longer details the profile of positive patients, as it was the case a few days ago. The “real” count of infected people becomes difficult. One certainty: in Charente, as elsewhere, the number of patients is greater than the figures communicated and this is said in all transparency.
This weekend, we learned that François Nebout, mayor of Soyaux, is sick, as well as two general practitioners in Cognac.
Our colleagues from “Charente Libre” cited the cases of a practitioner in Ruffec, an 80-year-old lady at the villa retirement home in Burry Angoulême and the director of the Girac hospital.
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