The sequence is overwhelming. In Mateur, in north-western Tunisia, the hospital which has around forty patients sick with Covid-19, has no oxygen. Its manager is waiting for a truck to come and supply them urgently. Every minute counts. But the minutes quickly turn into hours. Hanging on his phone, the man finally cracks, his face drowned in tears, in front of the camera of a local journalist, Soufien Ben Aissa, whom we have contacted. “It happened yesterday (Editor's note: Sunday July 18), at the beginning of the afternoon, says the reporter. Worried sick families were outside, anxious to see the oxygen cylinders arrive. But the truck in charge of supplying the hospital did not come. I turned my head and saw this man crumble, in tears,who told us that there was no oxygen at all and that he was losing patients, ”Soufien describes. The sobs of this health establishment director sparked a wave of emotions on social networks.
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Tunisia has been in the grip of a record explosion in the Covid epidemic over the past two weeks. With a vaccination campaign still very limited (only 4% of the total population is fully vaccinated), a shortage of doses and non-compliance with the rules of physical distancing, the rate of contamination is soaring and the number of deaths is increasing every year. day (160 on average daily). Despite recent government decisions to confine certain regions and extend the curfew, the country is sinking into an unprecedented health crisis. Hospitals are already overwhelmed, at the limit of saturation (92% of intensive care beds are occupied), and patients continue to arrive every day. The nursing staff are at their wit's end because of the lack of staff and resources.
Oxygen is starting to seriously run out in some areas, such as Mateur, where supplies are sparse. Daily oxygen consumption even reached 5,500 liters per day, compared to 400 to 500 before the epidemic resumed. Some countries, such as Morocco and France, have already dispatched emergency medical equipment, including oxygen. “People here are scared and angry. They are calling for help, there is nothing more to do. Wait for someone to come and help us, ”breathes Soufien.