How to avoid a shortage of caregivers, absent due to Covid, given the very rapid spread of the Omicron variant?
In particular by allowing those with no or very few symptoms to work anyway.
"An exceptional exemption from isolation for essential activities in the health and medico-social sector for asymptomatic and pauci-symptomatic cases
(presenting very mild symptoms)
is possible", read a document sent by the ministry of Health to all health professionals, Sunday.
The details appear in another document, this time sent to hospitals and medico-social establishments, and of which Le Parisien has recovered a copy.
We first learn that caregivers in contact and vaccinated cases do not have to isolate themselves, as is the case since Monday for all French people.
No problem, concerning them, so that they remain in service.
Barrier gestures, limited contact ...
The most interesting point is the positive cases with little or no symptoms, ie "without respiratory signs of viral shedding such as coughing and sneezing". They will therefore be able to work if they are fully vaccinated, by being "primarily assigned to activities that do not require contact with patients at risk for a severe form of Covid-19 or in a situation of vaccine failure". This was already the case in previous waves, as well as for several days.
But this assignment will be made "to the extent possible".
In other words, if the situation so requires, these caregivers could work with the most fragile patients.
In the previous document, published on December 24 and setting the framework since that date, it was simply indicated that positive caregivers could, “as a last resort”, work with patients “completely vaccinated and not at risk of serious form”.
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As is already the case, these professionals must "scrupulously respect the gestures and barrier measures", "limit their contact with other professionals as much as possible", and not participate "in collective moments that do not allow continuous wearing of the mask. ".
In concrete terms, therefore, they should not eat with their colleagues, for example.
The hospital will "rock" in January
Caregivers who are positive and have more severe symptoms are, logically, prohibited from working.
Not only are they not being to do so, but the risk of them transmitting the virus would also be too great.
Like all French people in this case, they will have to isolate themselves for a week if they are vaccinated (this constraint can be lifted on the fifth day with a negative test), and 10 days if they are not.
These measures are "derogatory, exceptional and temporary", insist the various departments of the Ministry of Health, co-signatories of this document.
They will end as soon as hospital pressure has decreased or the establishments have lifted the White Plan.
Currently, nearly 20,000 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 are hospitalized and more than 3,500 of them are receiving critical care.
The situation in January will “rock”, warned Martin Hirsch, the director general of Public Assistance - Paris Hospitals (AP-HP).