The explosion of the Covid-19 epidemic in Guadeloupe requires the opening of around a hundred resuscitation beds, estimated Overseas Minister Sébastien Lecornu on his arrival on Tuesday evening on the island, accompanied by a reinforcement of 274 caregivers and 60 firefighters. The contaminations curve is “so strong” that “we will have to tighten the containment”, according to measures still to be specified as of Wednesday by the prefect, also confirmed the minister, who went to the CHU on his arrival.
“The kinetics of the epidemic” should lead the territory to open more than “100 resuscitation beds”, he added, recalling that such a crisis situation has never yet been reached in any “territory. of the French Republic ”: the incidence rate of Covid-19 exceeds 1,800 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while only“ 17% of the population has a complete vaccination course ”. The caregivers who arrived in Guadeloupe on Tuesday evening, all volunteers and from all professions, come from all regions of mainland France.
“I was available, my family pushed me to come”
“I have just arrived from Oise, and we have experienced such a hardship, while we had the possibility of transferring patients more easily, of deploying other means, which I imagine that here, it must be there. ‘hell,’ said Valérie Eglem, a 51-year-old nurse. “I’m coming back from vacation, and I was available, my family pushed me to come,” said Nicolas Glinkowski, nurse anesthetist and cardio-perfusionist, who worked in Covid resuscitation during previous waves in France.
“I was approached by my management on Monday and I responded favorably,” explained Delphine Jové, 49, resuscitation nurse and firefighter nurse. The director general of the Regional Health Agency of Guadeloupe, Valérie Denux, warned the caregivers: “Be indulgent, everything may not be perfect, especially the working conditions”, she stressed, reminding the the CHU fire in 2017 and its dilapidation.
The reinforcements will be distributed over the various islands of the archipelago, as far as Saint-Martin in the northern islands and Marie-Galante. “Your coming is an important message of solidarity,” said Sébastien Lecornu. Here it is France and when there is a hard blow on French territory, we are able to trigger reinforcements. “