Tunisia-Nissaf Ben Alaya: “Hospital structures, more and more under pressure”

,Director of the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases Nissaf Ben Alaya acknowledged that there was some delay in the management of Covid-19 patients.

Confirming that the majority of deaths from the coronavirus have been recorded in hospitals, she stressed the need for coronavirus carriers to contact the nearest hospital or clinic as soon as they feel a deterioration in their condition.

Ben Alaya also acknowledged that there are many gaps in the public health system, such as the limited capacity of resuscitation services, which are no longer intended only for Covid-19 patients, as was the case at the start of the spread of the virus last March, but also welcome people with chronic diseases.

“We are now recording an increase in the number of patients requiring care in hospitals to the point of reaching a state of tension in our hospitals,” she told TAP on Tuesday.

According to the official, barrier gestures remain the first step in limiting the spread, in particular the wearing of masks, physical distancing, hand washing and compliance with self-quarantine.