Barrier gestures are falling and temperatures are cooling: winter and the end-of-year celebrations mark the return of respiratory infections. “We are in the midst of an influenza epidemic”, confides on the side of the ISPPC. “Covid cases are detected in patients who are initially hospitalized for other pathologies, some are even in rehabilitation. Thus, we have 14 Covid-positive patients who are at Da Vinci. In terms of figures, on December 23, there were 32 Covid patients (including one in intensive care), 20 patients hospitalized for influenza (including two in intensive care), and 13 patients hospitalized for bronchiolitis. “, adds the Intermunicipal Public Health of the Country of Charleroi (ISPPC).
On the Jolimont group’s Lobbain site, there is a slight increase in cases of patients hospitalized for respiratory diseases: “Currently, there are ten patients with a respiratory infection, placed on additional precaution, and there are two patients hospitalized for bronchitis too. But we are far from saturation, it remains a normal situation. »
“A tense situation”
In Gosselies, the GHdC observes a more tense situation: “We are at just-in-time for the moment, with one and a half departments concerned by hospitalizations for respiratory infections. They are mostly adult patients who often suffer from respiratory infections, mainly flu and pneumonia. Our doctors in the pulmonology department notice that there are more patients than last year. They explain this by the removal of the mask, and therefore by the return of certain germs. In terms of Covid patients, we don’t have more. »
With regard to patients in intensive care and children, the situation is more stable for the GHdC: “There are five patients in intensive care, hospitalized for another pathology, but who tested positive for influenza or Covid. And on the side of the pediatric service, we do not observe an increase compared to other years, it is stable. It is especially in classic hospitalizations for adults that we observe a certain saturation. »