Hospitals are experiencing a considerable influx of patients and are facing a shortage of oxygen, fatal to many patients.
The scene takes place at the Ain Taya hospital, in the eastern suburbs of Algiers. It only lasts a minute: men, some in medical gowns, rush on a truck and carry away oxygen cylinders. Behind the appearance of chaos, there is in reality the urgency: patients with respiratory failure await salvation.
The video, widely shared on social networks in recent days, illustrates the situation of the Algerian health sector, overwhelmed by a new murderous wave linked to the Delta variant which was not anticipated by the authorities. The Pasteur Institute of Algeria has indicated that this variant, much more contagious, represented, as of July 15, 71% of Covid-19 cases in circulation in the country and that it could exceed 90% in the coming weeks.
Hospitals are experiencing a huge influx of sick people and are facing an oxygen shortage that has been fatal to many hospital patients. A paradoxical situation, Algeria having almost quadrupled its production compared to 2020 to bring it, according to the Minister of the pharmaceutical industry, Lotfi Benbahmed, to 430,000 liters of liquid oxygen per day (nearly 400 million liters of oxygen gas).
This increase which “makes it possible to take care of tens of thousands of patients”, he said, was not accompanied by good logistical preparation in a country as large as three and a half times the size of France. “It is not just a question of producing this oxygen, but also of transporting it”, admitted the minister.
Fundraising led by the diaspora
The authorities requisitioned companies engaged in the transport and production of liquid oxygen. At the same time, the Ministry of Pharmaceutical Industry decided, “as an exception”, to allow individuals to import oxygen concentrators and other medical devices, without the prior import license traditionally required by Algerian customs.
But Algerians remain cautious about the action of the public authorities. Without further delay, citizen initiatives have therefore multiplied to provide urgently to hospitals in several wilayas (prefectures).
A large fundraiser is being carried out by the diaspora – nearly 450,000 euros were raised on July 28 – for the purchase of oxygen therapy equipment and concentrators. Launched by Merouane Messekher, an intern in pulmonology in Toulouse and member of the Algerian Medical Network collective, the operation was widely relayed by influencers on social networks.
Numbers to “multiply by thirty”
The solidarity that is being put in place speaks volumes about the urgency of the situation. On the breach since the start of the pandemic and now exhausted, the medical staff warns against the “recklessness” or even “the unconsciousness” of the population and the authorities vis-ร -vis the risks associated with Covid-19. In fact, after strict containment in spring 2020, the country has indulged in general relaxation.
Wearing a mask, often mocked, has become the exception and the rules of distancing are little applied. The great celebration of Eid el-Adha and the publication of the results of the baccalaureate gave rise to festive gatherings without protection. Vaccination has been delayed (less than 6% of the population has received their first dose, according to the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention).
For some healthcare professionals, the official contamination and death figures, which only take into account those who have undergone PCR analysis, have created a false sense of security. During the month of June, the daily reports revolved around 370 contaminations and 10 deaths per day. They have climbed in recent days to more than 1,500 contaminations and 25 deaths. A record according to official data, but which remains well below reality, according to specialists.
Professor Rรฉda Djidjik, head of the immunology department at Bรฉni Messous University Hospital in Algiers, caused a sensation by declaring that the figures of the Ministry of Health had to be “multiplied by thirty to have an idea of โโthe current situation”. According to him, there are currently between 25,000 and 30,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 per day in Algeria, which would explain the state of saturation of hospitals.
Faced with this murderous wave, the authorities decided – belatedly and as a “firefighter” denounce the critics – to extend the curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in 35 of the country’s 58 wilayas where leisure areas and public establishments will be closed. Mosques will remain closed during curfew hours. Measures welcomed but still considered insufficient in the face of the violence of this new wave. Especially since the government also announced Monday the lifting of the mandatory five-day quarantine for travelers arriving in the country.
“The peak is very acute,” said Professor Djidjik, who advocates “strict confinement” to break the dynamic and unclog hospitals. โNo country in the world, no health system can cope with the wave we are currently experiencing. The transmission chain must be cut,โ he warns.