Marie-Odile Saillard, the general director of the Metz CHR, announced the death of one of their doctors on Monday. He died while in intensive care in a different establishment in the region. Saillard declined to give more details on the victim’s identity, but explained they had several doctors in intensive care at present.
Just over forty members of staff have contracted Covid-19 at the CHR, although not all of these are seriously ill, said Saillard.
Since the start of the pandemic, the deaths of five other doctors in France have been made public. This includes an emergency doctor from Compiègne (Oise) who died on 22 March, followed by a 66-year-old obstetrician-gynecologist and a 70-year-old general practitioner both in the Haut-Rhin.
Two more general practitioners aged 60 and 68 in Moselle and Haute-Saône have also passed away due to the virus.
The union of general practitioners, MG France, said medical professionals are considered “frontline infantrymen” in the fight against the coronavirus, as they complete their work at their own risk.
These times have been particularly bleak for those who are the first resort for many patients.
