The Ministry of Health finally gives instructions to caregivers suffering from Covid-19

© ALAIN JOCARD
Caregiver in an intensive care unit for Covid-19 infected patients, at AP-HP Louis Mourier, Colombes, November 9, 2020.

Until then, health and socio-medical institutions have each applied the recommendations of the Higher Council of Public Health in their own way.

Remained in limbo since the onset of the health crisis, caregivers and their superiors are now firm on eviction instructions to apply in case of coronavirus contamination in their teams. November 17 publication he said that the Ministry of Health had never issued a national and formal doctrine on the conduct to be adopted for staff affected by a Covid-19 infection, inducing each institution to proceed in the way that suits them.

This Friday evening, the Director-General of Healthcare Offering, Katia Julienne, (DGOS) and the Director-General of Health, Jérôme Salomon, (DGS), finally approached hospitals, nursing homes, Samu and regional health authority agencies, a national instruction that clarifies the rules. While the second epidemic peak seems to have passed … but better late than never.

publication got this summary – called “Quick Health Alert Message“, which leaves one wondering about their definition of urgency in the face of a crisis that began more than eight months ago – and in which the directives enunciated are ultimately a simple copy and paste in the opinion of the High Council Health Center (HCSP), dated May 23. As recommended by the HCSP, any infected symptomatic and asymptomatic caregivers should be isolated for a minimum of seven days following the PCR test result or the onset of symptoms. A recovery is possible on the eighth day if there is no longer a fever (the High Council recommended “improved respiratory status for at least 48 hours“ as a second prerequisite). In case of immunosuppression, it will be necessary to isolate nine full days.

In short, what is really important to understand can be summarized as follows: the structures that have not complied with the recommendations of the HCSP, leaving the work of staff positive for Covid and symptomatic but able to stand on their own legs, will no longer be able to to do it. to allow.

Possible retention for asymptomatics and contacts

For the “Asymptomatic and non-replaceable personnel“, the ministry writes that conservation is possible “with enhanced precautionary and hygienic measures “. This exceptional situation was already foreseen by the HCSP: on this point, the coercive aspect of this ministerial note will therefore not change the margin of maneuver left to the institutions in the interpretation of the term “not replaceable“. In view of the chronic staff shortage of caregivers, it is clear that the ministry here does not want to shoot itself in the foot and take full responsibility for the likely small squads in disgrace.

Regarding contact cases, DGOS and DGS explain that “He can continue to work“ except when symptoms appear or “in case of doubts about the caregiver’s ability to comply with the barrier measures to prevent contamination of patients or other professionals in the facility “. Until then, some hospitals had followed this HCSP recommendation by leaving symptomatic caregivers to work until their PCR test results. A permit, on paper, now repressed.