Édouard Philippe as well as the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran and the Director General of Health, Professor Jérôme Salomon, held a press conference to discuss in full transparency the strategy of France against the Covid-19.
Yesterday, Saturday March 28, the Prime Minister, Édouard Philippe, met with the Minister of Health as well as the Director General of Health, Olivier Véran and Professor Jérôme Salomon, for "a full update on France's strategy against Covid-19". During this press conference, they wanted to answer all of the French's questions about the measures taken to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister had previously announced that the confinement would last at least until April 15. Edouard Philippe admitted that "the first 15 days of April will be (…) even more difficult than the 15 days which have just passed".
The Prime Minister denounced the disparaging remarks and the mistreatment that some caregivers receive before defending the government's decisions. Édouard Philippe, Olivier Véran and Professor Jérôme Salomon then shared the new systems put in place to manage the health crisis.
The installation of 14,000 resuscitation beds and 250 million masks ordered
France normally has 5000 resuscitation beds. This capacity has been increased to 10,000. The Minister of Health explained that the goal now was to reach 14,000 to 14,500 beds.
Olivier Véran also recalled that "we produce 8 million masks per week" but "we (cons) 40 million". He then announced that "250 million masks were ordered (last week) from China ". For the moment, "36 million masks were destocked (by the state) this week and sent throughout the country", mainly at destination "carers and the most fragile people".
Of "alternative masks" reusable will also be produced in April to limit the shortage of surgical masks or FFP2 masks. 24 producers are qualified to produce "alternative masks of category 3 or 4" who will manufacture nearly 1 million masks "washable at least 5 timess "and therefore reusable.
More screening tests
The Minister of Health said that the screening test strategy has "evolved". France has thus gone from "5000 (PCR tests) last week to 12,000 on a day like today, and to 20,000, 25,000, then 30,000 within a big week ". Olivier Véran promised the establishment of "50,000 a day by the end of April, thanks to the installation of several machines throughout the country". "We are continuously increasing our testing capacities to reach massive capacity", he said.
To this will be added "5 million rapid tests, which will arrive soon" so that screening capacity is "amplified during the deconfinement period". Consequently, 30,000 additional tests will be carried out daily in April and France will increase to 60,000 additional daily tests in May, and more than 100,000 additional daily tests in June.
Studies too "insufficient" for the circulation of chloroquine
Olivier Véran confided to interview "regularly" with Professor Didier Raoult who recommends the general prescription of chloroquine to treat the coronavirus. If the Minister has admitted hearing the "impatience", the "remarks" and the "encouragement ", he insisted that the state "bases all its decisions on the recommendations of learned societies". Chloroquine studies are currently "far too insufficient to take the risk" a circulation. "If it turns out that a treatment is effective, we will immediately make every effort to provide it to all French people", he assured.
50 patients from the Grand Est region transferred
The Grand Est region is the first focus of the Covid-19 epidemic in France. The hospitals are already saturated. Olivier Véran therefore explained that "50 patients will again be transferred from the Grand Est region to other French hospitals this weekend". "A health train will allow in particular to transfer around twenty patients from Nancy hospital", said the Minister of Health.
A device for monitoring mortality in nursing homes
The situation is more and more worrying in nursing homes despite the precautionary measures put in place to stem the disease. Accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people are currently experiencing excess mortality due to Covid-19. So far, only hospital deaths have been listed. From this weekend, a statement will be set up in the Ehpad. Professor Jérôme Salomon announced that the results will be communicated early next week. As for "the excess mortality recorded by INSEE thanks to town hall and civil status data", it will be the subject of a "weekly publication". "This is how we begin to give you figures relating to a departmental, regional and national excess mortality", assured the Director General of Health.
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