Doctors from a Paris public hospital group warned on Sunday that they were preparing to have to triage patients in the next few weeks, amid fears of surging Covid-19 cases. The op-ed was published in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper and included 41 ICU and emergency doctors highlight mismatches between public health needs and available resources. The op-ed states that capacities will be exceeded in the French capital in two weeks. In order to save as many lives as possible, the hospital system will have to be selective in which patients get access to ICU resources.
As of Saturday night, there were 1,429 patients in the ICU in the Ile-de-France region alone. This data comes from the French health authority, Santé Publique France. Last week, the head of the health agency announced that they were seeking to increase ICU beds in the region to over 2,000, attempting to cope with rising infections. The Parisian doctors wrote that they had never seen such a horrific medical crisis, despite terrorist attacks over the last several years, including one that killed 130 people and wounded 494.
Read More: Doctors warn Paris ICUs could be overwhelmed by Covid-19 surge