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Saturated French hospitals send Covid patients to Belgium

Overwhelmed hospitals in north-east France have begun sending Covid-19 patients to hospitals in nearby Belgium to free up intensive care unit beds.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

Coronavirus patients in the northern-most French region of Hauts-de-France are being transferred to Belgium as hospitals reach saturation point, reports Radio France Internationale

The regional health agency (ARS) said intensive care beds were being made available at facilities in several Belgian towns in an effort to relieve pressure on overcrowded French hospitals.

"These transfers will involve Belgian border hospitals, which already have cross-border agreements with French hospitals,” the ARS said in a statement.

Patients from the regional capital Lille and other areas are to be transferred over the coming days depending on available capacity, the eligibility of patients and the agreement of families.

Read more of this report from RFI.