Claudio made a special trip from Paris. 800 km for a blood test. His test of the Covid-19, he would never have done elsewhere than in Marseille. On the steps of the glass building, the 42-year-old former soldier proudly holds out his arm, cotton taped in the crease of the elbow. "I came to Didier Raoult! I met him, he even answered my hello, "laughs the one who, after a" little swim in the Prado ", will resume his train to the capital.
Weeks after the illness, Claudio struggled to get back on track and wants to know if he is immune. The truth, he came to get it here, rather than a stone's throw from his home. “Raoult, I have 1000% confidence in him! You know why ? Because I understand everything he says. "
Like this veteran, many of them still present themselves at the Marseille infectious disease center, looking for an answer: are they sick or have they been? No more long queues seen on TV around the world, but requests for PCR tests continue to flow. Almost 150 a day. This Wednesday afternoon, Didier Raoult will also be heard by the committee of inquiry at the National Assembly, aiming to learn the lessons of the crisis.
140,000 screenings
At the top of the stairs, you enter an ultramodern building, blue and white, in the colors of the Mediterranean. "You will always see someone passing a brushstroke," exclaims Philippe Brouqui, the chief of infectiology and loyal lieutenant of Didier Raoult. Anecdotal? No, because this institute, born in 2016, is the project of a life: that of the Marseille professor and his clan in a white coat.
PODCAST. Coronavirus: who is Didier Raoult, convinced that he has the miracle cure?
Hitherto unknown to the general public, it was propelled to the front of the stage thanks to the coronavirus. And for good reason, the "Raoultien" temple is both the cradle of the controversy over hydroxychloroquine, but also the place where the impossible has become possible. "We put to the test what this hospital was made for: managing an epidemic", summarizes Brouqui. When all the rest of France lacked tests, at the IHU we tested without limit. 140,000 in total, thanks to "military" rigor and a lot of reinforcements. A tour de force that everyone here exhibits like a trophy. Local pride.
“We put everything in the patients' noses, even the swabs of the gynecologists. Reagents have been recovered from veterinarians. We went to look for them everywhere, without negotiating the prices, says Professor Raoult, who bets on anticipation. It's like gasoline, if you don't look at the gauge, you break down. The doctor came to visit us at full speed, but without a mask. On the left, the research labs, on the right, the care and hospitalization section with 75 beds. In a room, the tired nurses take a break.
"Dad watches over all these people!"
"Here comes who wants. Unlike the rest of France, we even test people without symptoms. You just have to push the door, ”say Rachele, Sylvie and Patricia in unison. The verdict falls in six to ten hours. Fast, too much, for Mohamed, 30 years old! "I will come back tomorrow," says the architect. He needs his result, 24 hours before flying to his new life in Saudi Arabia.
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On the third floor, an elderly gentleman appears feverish behind the blind in his bedroom. He is one of the few Covid-19 patients currently hospitalized. Like 95% of those who have passed through these walls, it is treated ... with hydroxychloroquine. And this, despite the endless saga on this controversial drug. "Ineffective", "toxic", say the largest studies.
But here, far from disarming, we oppose the critics with an ironic smile. "Of course we continue. The patients all, all, all want Professor Raoult's treatment, says Philippe Brouqui, always quick to defend him. He is authoritarian, but fair. I have been trying to contradict him for 35 years, but he is always right. Around him, we are a hard core. Dad watches over all these people! "
"We feel the same as with Mr. Tapie"
An aura - new - that exceeds its stronghold: taxis honk in front of the IHU, passers-by demand selfies. At La Fringale snack bar, where Didier Raoult comes to eat "a kebab on a salad", Nadine and Gilles, the bosses praise his rock'n'roll spirit: "We in Marseille, we love big mouths. With him, we feel the same as with Mr. Tapie. "
Far from this good-natured fervor, scientists do not dwell on them, but on his balance sheet. "Hydroxychloroquine, we have to move on, tackle Dominique Costagliola. I don't see any convincing data, zero. This epidemiologist, the lay of infectious diseases, examined the work of the Marseille researcher with a magnifying glass. She denounces "tinkered" data: studies stopped before the time, patients evaporated, number of patients "at risk" very low ... When we retort that Didier Raoult is however sure of his effectiveness, she replies: "He has you bluff! This treatment has never worked on a viral disease. ”
According to her, the microbiologist wanted to shine during this crisis, like Zangra, a captain, in search of unattainable glory. She hums Brel's song: "My name is Zangra, yesterday too old general I left Belonzio which dominates the plain […], I will not be a hero. "
VIDEO. What is chloroquine, a miracle cure for coronavirus according to Professor Raoult?
