. Earth Science News .
EPIDEMICS
Tunisia hospitals struggle with Covid 'tsunami'
By Fethi Belaid and Aymen Jamli
Kairouan, Tunisia (AFP) July 6, 2021

Tunisian hospitals are battling to keep operating as the number of people dying of Covid-19 spikes and bodies are left in rooms because mortuaries are running at full capacity.

"Some patients have died without us realising it," said Imen Fteiti a nurse at the Ibn Jazzan hospital in the central city of Kairouan, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.

Some bodies of Covid victims have been left lying in rooms, next to other patients, for up to 24 hours because there were not enough staff to organise their transfer to overstretched mortuaries.

Tunisia has officially recorded more than 15,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic last year with the toll rising in recent weeks.

More than 600 Covid patients are in intensive care units around the country, and authorities have set up field hospitals to cope with a crisis they have compared to a "tsunami".

Doctors, nurses and non-governmental organisations have sounded the alarm particularly for Kairouan, a marginalised region where intensive care beds and oxygen supplies are lacking.

"We have reached a point where we don't know who to assist first," Fteiti said.

In Kairouan, 5,500 litres (195 cubic feet) of oxygen are now needed daily to treat those stricken by Covid compared to 400-500 litres two weeks ago before the number of cases spiked, regional health officials said.

And there are only 45 beds in intensive care units in Kairouan hospitals, both private and public, and just 250 oxygen cylinders are available, they added.

Since June 20, authorities have imposed a total lockdown on six regions across Tunisia, including Kairouan, as the number of Covid cases spiralled in the North African country.

The capital Tunis has been placed under partial lockdown since last week, with weekend lockdowns from July 10 to prevent crowds at beaches.

- 'Touch and go' -

But the health situation in Kairouan, home to 593,000 people, is among the worst and for health workers it has become a nightmare.

At the Ibn Jazzar hospital there are only three nurses for 35 Covid patients.

"Our day begins very early in the morning and we never know when it will be over," said nurse Fteiti.

The day starts with caring for incoming patients who have slept on the floors of hospital corridors because no beds were available when they arrived, she said.

Fteiti recalled a young woman whose mother had just died of Covid who pleaded with her to check on her ill father. "Unfortunately, he too passed away," said the nurse.

Health officials say the daily number of Covid deaths in Kairouan has climbed to 20, including children.

"We have been through tough days with the ICU beds full," said regional health official Mohamed Rouiss.

When the spike began last month, patients from Kairouan could be transferred to other hospitals in the region.

"But now they too are full," he said.

Slah Soui, a doctor at Kairouan's second largest hospital Aghlabides, blames the situation on "recklessness" and people failing to respect hygiene rules, including social distancing.

But "a severe lack of vaccination" is also at fault, he said.

Tunisia has struggled with a lack of vaccines and launched its campaign in March, a month later than planned.

In the Kairouan region, just 95,000 people have registered to be vaccinated and only half of those have received a first dose.

Across Tunisia, only four percent of the population of 12 million have received the full two doses.

In June, the director of the Tunis Pasteur Institute Hechmi Louzir told reporters that the country had received only 1.6 million doses of vaccine.


Related Links
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


EPIDEMICS
Iraqi restauranteurs pay bribes to dodge virus curfew
Baghdad (AFP) July 1, 2021
It's well past the coronavirus curfew, but Seif and his waiters are still serving customers at his Baghdad restaurant, thanks to security forces they have paid to turn a blind eye. After Covid-19 restrictions hammered his business last year, Seif said he decided to do what many of his neighbours in the capital's central Karrada district were doing. Despite the nightly 9:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew, various security forces deployed in the area solicited bribes in exchange for allowing establishments ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

EPIDEMICS
Florida condo death toll 32, Storm Elsa complicates search

Survivor window closing in Japan landslide as death toll reaches seven

Survivor window closing in Japan landslide, 24 unaccounted for

Rescuers search for survivors in landslide-hit Japan town

EPIDEMICS
Energy production at Mutriku remains constant even if the wave force increases

Tencent to use facial ID to snag China's late-night child gamers

A crystal made of electrons

Reprogrammable satellite shipped to launch site

EPIDEMICS
UN draft resolution calls on Ethiopia to cease filling mega-dam

Ethiopia begins second stage of filling mega-dam, angering Egypt

Study Projects a Surge in Coastal Flooding, Starting in 2030s

New satellite data techniques reveal coastal sea-level rise

EPIDEMICS
Canada's Inuit advocate Mary Simon a fierce defender of her people

Wind, climate caused record melt of Arctic's 'Last Ice Area'

UN confirms 18.3C record heat in Antarctica

Mountaintop glacier ice disappearing in tropics around the world

EPIDEMICS
Going to waste: The children who survive on Gabon's garbage dumps

Supply chain diversification can help cities avoid food shocks

Slowing down grape ripening boosts flavors prized by winemakers

Italy's Apulia region prohibits farm work in hottest sun

EPIDEMICS
Storm Elsa batters Cuba as it heads toward Florida Keys

Azerbaijan probes impact of offshore mud volcano eruption

Storm Elsa cuts through Caribbean after claiming three lives

Philippines on alert for another volcano eruption as thousands flee

EPIDEMICS
Ethiopia slams Arab League 'meddling' on Nile mega-dam

Four Mali soldiers die in attack; France resumes joint ops

DR Congo army denies accusations it shot dead five civilians

EU agrees military training mission for Mozambique

EPIDEMICS
Kids learn language faster than adults because of how people speak to them

A new type of Homin unknown to science

'Dragon Man': Scientists say new human species is our closest ancestor

Urban green space brings happiness when money can't buy it anymore









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.