Health authorities’ official data show 78% of ICU beds were used by Covid-19 sick. And yet, according to Libération newspaper, real data, collected from the General board of the care offer, are much lower. As of January 11, the real occupancy toll was 40%.
Many sick have been reported as hospitalized because of Covid-19, although this was not why they were hospitalized. According to Santé Publique France’s data as of January 13, 2022, about 20% of people hospitalized were indeed positive, but hospitalized for reasons other than Covid.
Lariboisière hospital head of ICU Bruno Mégarbane told France Info they have “12 patients in ICU” including “eight for extremely severe Covid-19” and “four patients contaminated by Omicron but here for other reasons”. And yet, he also says “they have been counted in the data of people hospitalized in ICU because of Covid-19” whilst “the virus did not send them to ICU”.
As a consequence, official data are incorrect and this raises an issue about measures made by the government. As a matter of fact, the ICU Covid-19 sick occupancy toll is a main indicator in the authorities’ decisions. The Danish health authorities have reported the same problem, with positive patients hospitalized for another reason, and there were 23% of them.
