“I call on everyone, and especially those who live in the capital, to be extremely careful, wear the mask and respect social distancing. The aim is to reduce the pressure on the hospital system,” Castex said during a visit to a hospital.
The number of people with COVID-19 in intensive care units on Friday exceeded 4,000 for the first time since Nov. 26, with nearly 1,100 COVID-19 patients in ICUs in the Paris region alone.
FRENCH hospitals will soon have to start releasing coronavirus patients early as President Emmanuel Macrons struggles to deal with the virus.
In Paris and the surrounding region, healthcare managers say the intensive care units are close to being overloaded.
Castex said that in the Ile-de-France region around Paris the vaccination campaign would be sped up this weekend, with the delivery of 25,000 extra doses.
Medics in France will resort to discharging patients “early” as hospitals struggle to meet the demands for beds needed to treat coronavirus patients. Hospitals in the Paris region have reportedly become overwhelmed by rising numbers of virus cases with the pressure leading ICU doctors into making difficult decisions over when to discharge those receiving treatment. It comes as President Emmanuel Macron and other European Union leaders face a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
An ICU doctor at Bry-Sur-Marne Hospital, Serge Carriera told France 24 how the situation will force clinicians to take drastic action to free up beds.
He said: “Our backup plan is to discharge patients earlier than planned.
“It’s not perfect but it’s the only solution we have.”
Meanwhile, the director of Paris’ public hospitals has called on the French Government to do more to tackle the crisis in emergency wards.
Martin Hirsh said: “If a lockdown isn’t possible, then we need other solutions.
“Not having a plan to slow this down is simply not an option.”
Unlike other virus hotspots in France such as Dunkirk, Paris does not currently have a weekend lockdown in force.
The country is being forced to transfer Covid patients as critical cases surge.
It reported 30,303 new infections on Wednesday, rising above 30,000 for the first time in two weeks.
But more worryingly, the number of people being treated in intensive care remained at a three-and-a-half-month high – with 3,918 receiving critical treatment.
Italy has also been forced to announce drastic plans to help ease its hospital crisis as the third wave pushes intensive care wards to breaking point.
It has introduced a hospital train with 21 intensive care beds to transfer patients around the country when hospitals overflow.
France’s vaccination programme has been hampered by logistical bottlenecks and problems with deliveries from vaccine manufacturers, but Castex said the campaign was speeding up, with 320,326 shots administered on Friday, a new record.
