hospital tensions and curfews in overseas territories

If Mayotte was relatively spared by the Delta variant, with Omicron, hospitalizations are on the rise. At the CHM, the outpatient surgery department has given way to Covid patients. “We prepare as before, we reduce this activity to be able to make room for critical care patients “, explains Doctor Yvonnick Boué, head of the resuscitation unit at CHM Mayotte.

The island has been placed in a state of health emergency. The number of Covid cases is doubling every two days, and hospital services already have more than a hundred absent. To deal with the crisis, contaminated but asymptomatic staff were called in to assist. A curfew has also been installed. On the neighboring island of Reunion, the situation is also worrying, with 13,000 contaminations in seven days, and 95% of resuscitation beds occupied by Covid patients. The services are also understaffed here.