London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 07, 2025

Doctors warn Paris ICUs could be overwhelmed by Covid-19 surge

Doctors warn Paris ICUs could be overwhelmed by Covid-19 surge

Dozens of doctors from the Paris public hospital group (AP-HP) warned on Sunday they were preparing to have to triage patients in the next two weeks, amid fears of surging Covid-19 cases in the French capital.

In an op-ed, published in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, 41 ICU and emergency doctors pointed to a "glaring mismatch between needs and available resources" and warned that "we already know that our capacities will be exceeded" in two weeks time.

"We will be forced to select which patients get access to the ICUs and which do not in order to save as many lives as possible. This triage will involve all patients, Covid and non-Covid, especially regarding access to critical care for adult patients," the op-ed read.

As of Saturday night, there were 1,429 patients in ICU in the Ile-de-France region alone, where Paris is located, according to data published by the French health authority, Santé Publique France. The head of the regional health agency (ARS) for Ile-de-France, Aurélien Rousseau, tweeted last week that it aimed to increase ICU beds in the region to 2,250, to cope with rising infections.

The Parisian doctors wrote in their op-ed they had "never experienced such a situation, even during the worst terrorist attacks in recent years," referring to the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and wounded 494.

"All indicators show that the current measures are and will be insufficient to rapidly reverse the alarming curve of contamination," they added, pointing to the government's strategy to curb a third wave of infections.

A nurse takes care of a patient suffering from Covid-19 at the intensive care unit of the Centre hospitalier privé de l'Europe in Port-Marly, on March 25, 2021.


France has confirmed more than 4.5 million Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic -- the fourth most cases in the world after the US, Brazil, and India. A total of 94,492 people have died in the country so far.

How to contain the virus


France is entering a decisive week. On Saturday evening, there were 4,791 people in ICUs nationally, nearing the peak of the country's second Covid-19 wave, which saw 4,903 people in ICU care on November 16.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is up for re-election next year, has so far resisted imposing a third nationwide lockdown -- against the advice of his Scientific Council -- citing the potential impact it would have on mental health and on the French economy.

Instead, the government has favored a 7pm curfew, as well as regional "reinforced health restrictions" which allow schools in many areas to remain open, but require non-essential stores to close and limit people's movement to a 10-kilometer radius unless they have compelling business or health reasons to travel further.

Many medical workers have urged the French government in recent weeks to impose stronger national restrictions, in light of the contagious B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom and is now dominant in France.

At the end of a tense EU summit on Thursday night, the French president defended his decision not to implement a lockdown at the end of January.

"We didn't have the explosion of cases that every model predicted," Macron said in a press conference. "There won't be a mea culpa from me. I don't have remorse and won't acknowledge failure," he added.

But according to the Parisian doctors' op-ed, current measures aren't enough to contain the virus, and the national vaccination campaign has not advanced enough to "have any significant impact on the evolution of the outbreak in this period."

Macron has said accelerating vaccination is a "national priority," though he has also acknowledged shortfalls in Europe's "ambition" around vaccines in the bloc.

French veterinarians and dentists are now allowed to administer Covid-19 vaccines in the country in order to "speed up the campaign." A total of 7,550,454 people in France (11.2% of its population) have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of Sunday, according to government data.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
×