Variant Delta: an increasingly dramatic situation in Polynesia – Franceinfo

One of the hospitals in Papeete, French Polynesia, is on the verge of collapse. Admissions at critical stages of Covid-19-related illness are skyrocketing and staff are doing all they can to try to cope. 24 additional beds have just been installed in the nave of the hospital. “We are dealing with a problem of health disaster”, testifies Doctor Tony Tekuataoa, head of the emergency department.

Submerged by the Delta variant, Polynesia is undergoing an unprecedented epidemic wave. The incidence rate is over 3000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and the number of deaths per day is 36 times higher than in the rest of France. “We need reinforcements in human resources (…) to come and help us take care of patients”, indicates the director of the hospital center. Today, only one in three Polynesians is vaccinated, but the vaccination campaign is accelerating. Mobile vaccinodromes move closer to the inhabitants. Strict containment is in place until at least September 6 on the main islands and schools are closed.