The government has declared a state of health emergency in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Mayotte, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, overseas territories where “under the effect of the Omicron variant, the circulation of Covid-19 is experiencing a considerable increase, “according to a decree presented to the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.
The government has declared a state of health emergency in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Mayotte, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, overseas territories where “under the effect of the Omicron variant, the circulation of Covid-19 is experiencing a considerable increase, “according to a decree presented to the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. The decree affirms that “given the hospital capacities of these territories and the vaccination coverage of their population, the current epidemic wave of Covid-19 constitutes a health disaster endangering (…) the health of the population”.
Réunion and Martinique have been in a state of health emergency since December 27. In Guadeloupe for example, on January 4, the incidence rate, an indicator that is used to measure the circulation of the epidemic, is 1,820, up 549% over the last seven days, according to the decree. The department and region, hit hard in July-August by the fourth wave of Covid-19, has been shaken for a month and a half by a social protest, in particular against the vaccination obligation of caregivers and firefighters.
“Close to 80%” in Guadeloupe
Only 40% of the island’s population received at least one dose of vaccine at the end of 2021, and 31% that of Guyana. “With this level of vaccination coverage, the risks of developing serious forms of the disease are greatly increased and could quickly lead to saturation of hospital structures in the various territories concerned,” notes the text presented to the Council of Ministers. Hospital pressure is already “very strong in Guyana, where the occupancy rate of intensive care beds is greater than 190% of the initial capacity”.
It is “close to 80%” in Guadeloupe, “even though the situation in France”, affected by the Omicron surge, “significantly limits the capacity to send reinforcements or the organization of medical evacuations”. The state of health emergency decreed “will allow the prefects to take measures to prohibit travel outside the home”.
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