Flu epidemic: “Everyone can take action by getting vaccinated”, the appeal of ARS Occitanie

L’accès à la vaccination reste facile, assure le directeur de l’ARS. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Didier Jaffre, director of ARS Occitanie, gives an update on the flu epidemic and the situation in hospitals. He invites the population to get vaccinated to limit the effects of the virus.

Didier Jaffre, director of ARS Occitanie. Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

Is the flu epidemic more complex to manage this winter? ?

More complex, no. What we see, however, is that there are indeed a lot of patients affected by the flu with a virus that is perhaps a little more contagious, which results in a significant number of people going to hospitals. The activity, rather calm during the holidays, intensified in the first days of January. Many families have gathered together and due to a very low vaccination rate, the most fragile, especially the elderly, are in extremely fragile states of health, which requires their hospitalization.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

Hospitals have triggered adaptation plans, will it be enough ?

Very few white plans have been triggered at this time in our region. There is the Alès establishment, in the Gard, the Toulouse University Hospital which has activated its level 1… In fact, we have asked the establishments to all be under tension, in order to participate collectively in the care of patients and to absorb the increase in activity. But that does not mean that the system is in difficulty. I have also requested the solidarity of the public sector, so that everyone works hand in hand, the objective being to decongest the emergency services and free up sufficient medical and intensive care beds to be able to hospitalize patients when they need them. We will also mobilize the home hospitalization sector because a large number of people can be cared for at home.

Unions believe that the private sector is not playing the game…

On the contrary, I think, and they demonstrated it during the Covid crisis, that these establishments also contribute to patient care. We are in a region where many have emergency services, some of which have themselves been saturated in recent days

The epidemic peak has not been reached. Are you worried ?

We are extremely vigilant, especially on weekends when it is generally more complicated. It is also to get through this period that I have asked the establishments today to free up beds in order to avoid saturation of the system. However, it will of course hold, I know I can count on the quality of our teams and their commitment. However, everyone can act to reduce the tension and this involves in particular vaccination.

This is an appeal that you are making ?

Of course. There is always time to get vaccinated, even if you are in good health, to protect yourself, to protect others and, ultimately, to protect the health system. It is a chain of events. This call must be heard all the more by the most vulnerable, the elderly, the immunocompromised, pregnant women, whose vaccination coverage rate in the region barely reaches 50% when it should be 100%. Fortunately, this rate is better in nursing homes, even if it can still be improved. Healthcare workers, vaccinated on average at 20% last year, must also set an example. Access to the vaccine is easy, there is no shortage, so there is no need to hesitate.

I subscribe to read the rest