We must leave the children's pavilion behind us, bypass emergencies, cross a series of parking lots before falling on the big building. All in length, brown sheet metal, unexpected "exit from garage" sign attached to the facade. "From the outside, it makes war medicine but, inside, you will see how it is perfected," reassures Cédric Manteau, experienced caregiver whose huge bottle of hydroalcoholic gel protrudes from his coat.
The place where the caregiver welcomes us is unique in France. Here, in this old garage converted into a decontamination center, the Bordeaux University Hospital (Gironde) two weeks ago developed a special unit to take charge of the epidemic which is shaking the world. Six hundred square meters dedicated to the screening of possible cases of coronavirus, but not only. Since Thursday March 5 there are also established outpatient care routes for people who are sick but have no serious symptoms. The others are hospitalized further on the site, in the infectious diseases department or, for the most severe, in intensive care. A support structure, essential to cope with the influx of patients, such as this father and his daughter who came on Monday to be diagnosed.
Go up the Nile in Egypt, visit the emblematic temples… David, 50, has dreamed of this cruise for a long time with Nina, his 17-year-old daughter. But in addition to memories full of head, the family of Arcachon brought back on Saturday a dry cough, a nose taken, a little fever and headaches. The air conditioning of the boat? Possible, but now, vacationers have transited through the same places as the passengers of the boat "A-Sara", since quarantined for multiple cases of coronavirus.
"Don't get out of your car, we're coming to get you"
So, the 15th directed them to the new Bordeaux structure, which set them an appointment Monday at 2:45 p.m. Before them, twenty-five patients were seen, including six positive. "Do not get out of your car, we will pick you up," says Elisabeth, the caregiver who organizes their arrival.
Here, no one enters without being authorized, nor touches the door handles. Escorted from the parking lot by Cédric, here is the father and daughter inside. "Welcome, we'll take care of you," say the doctors, guiding them behind a waterproof protective curtain.
It is there, in box number 1 (out of the 3 available, the number of which can be doubled if necessary) where the air is sucked in, that their screening will take place. But first… a little selfie to immortalize this atypical experience!
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Hidden under a cap, glasses, a mask, a gown and gloves, the doctor and the nurse take their blood pressure, their temperature and presto, insert a large cotton swab in their nose to recover the cells to be tested. Direction the virology department, a few meters away.
Here we practice "walking forward"
Unlike the stressed lady before them, David, a nurse, and Nina, a high school student, leave fifteen minutes later, relaxed. No backtracking is possible. The structure practices "walking forward", each patient advancing towards the exit, without crossing others.
"It is a place which, under its very calm appearances, is blowing away. We receive three patients every twenty minutes and there is no stress. It is already not easy for them to be tested for an epidemic that has hit the headlines… ”observes Professor Denis Malvy, an infectious disease specialist who has made his mark with Ebola in Africa or Zika in Reunion. It was he who, in this Bordeaux University Hospital, treated the first patient in France, a 48-year-old man who had passed through Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic in China. The case was announced on January 23. Since then, there have been infected people from China, Italy, Mulhouse, and now Egypt…
"Dede" to the rescue
Before bringing the following people into the Special Unit, a key step: that of disinfecting the blocks. Patricia, health worker, gets down to it. "We pass three products, the Dede is the disinfectant, water to rinse and bleach", explains the one who does not hide being impressed. "You have to do it right, don't get it wrong," she notes.
For David and Nina, the time was always this Tuesday evening awaiting the results, supposed to arrive in the early morning. "It's long," confides the quinqua, hoarse voice. If they are negative, both will resume their normal lives. "And Nina will not be able to miss classes for fourteen days," laughs the father. If their results are positive, the healthcare team will build with them "the journey of a confirmed but minor Covid". This involves being seen at the center for the first time, having access to a hotline open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, but also to practical advice.
"We must not confuse confinement and incarceration," explains Denis Malvy. Infected people also benefit from the presence of a psychiatrist specializing in post-traumatic stress. AJ + 7, a new appointment is set, then a last one on the fourteenth day of the illness. "Everything we do here contributes to a therapeutic project," says Denis Malvy. The objective is to recover as much data as possible to better understand and deal with the virus. This is important because the health of tomorrow will be that of a globalized world. "