PAPEETE, Tahiti (AP) – France’s worst coronavirus outbreak is developing in 12 areas of Paris, devastating Tahiti and other idyllic islands in French Polynesia.
There are not enough oxygen, ICU beds and morgue space in the South Pacific archipelagos, and their vaccination rate is barely half the national average. Simultaneous outbreaks on remote islands and atolls are tightening the capacity of local authorities to evacuate patients to the few hospitals in the territory.
“The problem is that there are a lot of deaths before we get there,” lamented Vincent Simon, the head of the regional emergency service.
French Polynesia is France’s latest challenge in juggling resources to combat the pandemic of the former colonies that are spreading around the world. With more than 2,800 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population, it holds the national record for the highest infection rate.
And that’s just an estimate: things are so bad that the multiethnic territory of some 300,000 residents stopped counting new infections while local health authorities reassigned medical staff to focus on patient care and vaccination. instead of testing.
Of the 463 virus-related deaths reported in French Polynesia throughout the pandemic, most occurred in the past month. Vaccine skepticism, high rates of obesity and diabetes and the decision to reopen some tourists this summer have been one of the explanations for the current health crisis.
Tensions have risen with other French territories ravaged by viruses. While the central government in Paris sent hundreds of health workers to the French Caribbean during the summer, Polynesia received only 10 assistant nurses. After weeks of pleading by Polynesian officials, the government promised to send 100 more this week.
French Polynesia, whose 118 islands extend over an area as large as Europe, has broad autonomy from Paris, but relies on the central government for health care.
“We need help. We’ve said it before: we can’t get away with it, ”Tony Tekuataoa, head of emergency services at the French Polynesian Hospital Center in Tahiti, told local television.
There are currently more than 330 people hospitalized with the virus, including 55 in intensive care, far beyond the capacity of the territory.
Beds, mattresses, oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators: Everything is missing. With 15 to 20 new deaths a day, funeral directors can no longer meet the demands of families. The macabre dance of ambulances and coffins encourages local media coverage.
Hospital authorities open new COVID-19 wards. All medical and paramedical professionals have been requisitioned. The regulatory agency sends equipment and personnel in a state of permanent emergency.
The increase is affecting the mental health of doctors. Meanwhile, vaccination disputes are destroying some families.
“Caregivers were not prepared to see so many dead,” said Philippe Dupire, medical director of the French Polynesian Hospital Center.
Hospital workers appealed directly to Macron with a photo shared on their Facebook page showing the lobby where the president made a speech during a July visit and the lobby itself a month later, now full of 20 hospital beds occupied by patients with viruses.
To curb infections, local authorities imposed a curfew at first, then locks were located and now schools have been closed. Mandatory vaccines have been announced for some sectors, despite objections in certain quarters.
Vaccines are on the rise, but eight months after the campaign, only 38% of the total population is fully vaccinated, while 50% have received a first dose. This compares with 67% and 73% nationally.
Meanwhile, more than 90% of people in intensive care are not vaccinated, as are the vast majority of people who have died.
The government minister for the overseas territories, Sebastien Lecornu, blamed the shift in vaccine skepticism on a population particularly sensitive to misinformation. Distrust of the authorities is also a problem among indigenous peoples, marked by the legacy of France’s nuclear tests on the atolls of Polynesia and decades of efforts in repair.
Concerned about the potentially deadly consequences of vaccine avoidance, the pro-independence party leader called on all communities to receive injections and reject false information shared online.
Although infections can reach a peak in French Polynesia, experts fear a long, high plateau rather than a speedy recovery. Epidemiologist Jean-Marc Ségualin said “nothing very significant is happening that shows improvement.”
The territory has a bright spot: Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands, where the French Polynesia vaccination campaign began in January and 85% of the population is completely vaccinated.
At a rehabilitation center in Tahiti, a 50-year-old man said he had avoided vaccines because social media posts called them dangerous. Asphyxiated by emotion, he described the fear and grief that consumed him as he was admitted.
One woman described that she was struggling for air while in intensive care and could not keep her eyes open. He urged anyone near the ear to get vaccinated.
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Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.