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Day: 6 November 2020

New rapid tests arrive

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/11/2020

The Principality has just received 10,000 Covid-19 antigen tests, expanding Monaco’s testing capabilities significantly.

On Thursday 5th November, a select group of the Prince’s Riflemen were the first to administer and receive the new Covid antigen tests acquired by the government. The soldier’s test results, all negative, were received in under 20 minutes.

This alternative to PCR testing has been approved by the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health, and results are obtained quickly without lab analysis and with little in the way of extra processing equipment. Much like a home test for pregnancy, a colorimetric strip shows the results. One stripe is negative, two is positive, meaning that the virus is active in the patient’s body.

The fast turn-around time and ease of use will free up labs and allow for more efficient and quicker tracing abilities. As a result, Monaco will be able have up to 400 samples analysed in an eight hour period.

Additionally, this kind of test is accepted at airports in Rome in lieu of a PCR test, and airlines are lobbying for more airports to accept them as well. With backlogs at labs in many countries, the requirement of getting a negative test result 48 to 72 hours prior to flying ranges from difficult to impossible under the current situation, so a rapid test like this would be music to Covid-weary traveller’s ears.

But there is a downside.

“Antigen tests are less precise than PCR tests which remain the gold standard in Covid screening,” Alexandre Bordero, Director of Health Action told Monaco Matin. “If an antigen test is doubtful or positive, it will be confirmed by a PCR test.”

These tests will not be carried out in Monaco at the Espace Leo Ferré, where the PCR test centre is set up. They will be offered by other local health professionals, such as pharmacists, nurses and private doctors, though a ministerial decision must first be signed to allow health professionals to administer these tests.  

Currently, no costs or reimbursement information on the rapid tests is available.

 
Photo © Government Communication Department / Stéphane Danna
 
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Riviera Airport trials Covid test room

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/11/2020

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is poised to be the model for other airports with the establishment of a Covid antigen testing centre on-site for passengers heading to selected locations.
The Nice Airport authorities reacted quickly to the call on 15th October from the French Minister of Transport to create a “health corridor” at the facility, organising and setting up a room in Terminal 2 exclusively dedicated to administering Covid tests for passengers on a voluntary basis.
The initial phase will be viewed as a “full-scale test that aims to be deployed on a wider scale and in the long term in other airports.”
The airport has been working closely with the French government, the city of Nice, the regional health authority and two partner airlines, Air France and Alitalia, for this first phase.
Tests will be offered to passengers travelling via Paris Orly or Paris Charles de Gaulle to the overseas territories as well as those going to Rome. They can also be requested by any outbound passenger wishing to be tested.
According to the airport, limiting testing to clients of Air France and Alitalia for the short term is allowing it to fine-tune the process before expanding, giving it an opportunity to anticipate the number of passengers who may come in, ensuring a fast and efficient service.
“By working hand in hand with French public services, the city of Nice, the health authorities, the airlines and their ground-handling agents, we are creating the optimal conditions to enable the largest number of people to be tested all while maintaining fluid passenger flows and the punctuality of departing flights. We would like to thank the Minister for Transport, his teams and all the partners in this pilot project for having trusted us to implement this experiment, which is set to be deployed on a wider scale,” said Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Board for Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.
The centre is open daily from 5am and can accommodate up to six stations running simultaneously for sample-taking and four for those handling the administrative side.
 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 
 

Hospital boosts number of Covid beds for second wave

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/11/2020

The Princess Grace Hospital has increased its capacity to care for Covid-19 patients as case numbers continue to rise rapidly in the Principality.
Between Sunday 1st November and Saturday 7th November, 124 positive cases of coronavirus were recorded in Monaco, compared to just nine positive cases between 1st and 7th October. Currently, 15 people are hospitalised and three are in intensive care.
Given the substantial and rapid increase in cases, the government revealed on Friday that the Princess Grace Hospital Centre (CHPG) has decided to open two new units dedicated to the care of Covid-positive patients.
“This overall reinforcement of hospitalisation capacities should enable the CHPG teams to cope with an increase in needs over the coming days, in accordance with the epidemiological forecasts made by the Institut Pasteur, in a context where the vast majority of positive patients hospitalised do not suffer from a serious form of the disease requiring the use of resuscitation, and where the teams are able to maintain the normal activities in the departments so as not to risk delays in other treatment,” said the government in a statement.
On Thursday 5th November, a new 16-bed unit dedicated to Covid patients with breathing difficulties was opened. It can be expanded to 30 beds if necessary. An additional seven critical care stations have also been added.
Other Covid patients will continue to be hospitalised in the appropriate ward according to their specific needs, as some hospitilisations are linked to other illnesses.
The CHPG has once again strengthened its collaborations with the IM2S and the Monaco Cardio-Thoracic Centre, so it has “a sufficient number of beds to absorb an increasing number of Covid-19 positive patients residing in the region for which it is responsible, and whose state of health requires care and medical surveillance,” according to the government.
Meanwhile, visitation has again been suspended in all medical, surgical and obstetrics departments, unless authorised by the department head. Visitation is still allowed, under strict conditions, in the psychiatric wards as well as within the gerontological section.
According to the government, all scheduled hospitalisations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the risk/benefit ratio. The hospital will only contact people whose hospitalisations are being rescheduled, the others will go ahead as planned.
 
Photo: CHPG, provided by the Communication Department of the Monaco Government
 
 
 

Call for collaborative projects for Monk Seal Alliance

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/11/2020

Despite encouraging signs of recovery in recent years, the Mediterranean monk seal remains one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world. The Monk Seal Alliance, of which the Prince’s Foundation is a founding member, is now stepping up conservation efforts.
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) prefers slightly warmer waters than most other seal species and was once abundant in the entire Mediterranean Sea and parts of the adjacent Atlantic. Decades of hunting and deliberate killings by fishermen, accidental entangling in fishing nets, disease and habitat destruction pushing the animals from open beaches to caves, has since taken a heavy toll on populations. Twenty years ago, the situation looked extremely bleak with population numbers down to 400-500, and the species was listed as ‘criticially endangered’ on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List.
Strong regional and national action to save the species by creating marine protected areas, working with fishing communities and raising awareness among various stakeholders, have lessened the pressure and the species has since been moved down to the ‘endangered’ category by the IUCN.
While it is too early to talk about a ‘success story’, the considerable efforts to protect the species and its habitats have paid off, and the current population is estimated at around 800 individuals in a few key sites in the Mediterranean, mostly around Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, as well as Madeira and Cap Blanc in the Atlantic. Continued and enforced conservation action is crucial to maintain this positive trajectory and make sure that the species will be able to thrive in the future.
The Monk Seal Alliance (MSA) was launched in 2019 by its founding member organisations: the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the MAVA Foundation, the Segré Foundation, the Sancta Devota Foundation and the Thalassa Foundation, to leverage existing actions and step up concrete monk seal conservation efforts.
The Alliance recently defined its near-time 2020-2024 funding strategy, which is aligned with the Regional Strategies and Action Plans for the protection of the Mediterranean Monk Seal under the Barcelona Convention and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, as well as existing National Action Plans for the conservation of the species. It will also contribute to the objectives of wider frameworks such as the European Habitats Directive, and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
As part of this strategy, the MSA has launched two calls for collaborative projects, one focusing on tangible conservation activities in areas where the largest populations are found, such as limiting negative interactions with fishermen, ending harmful impacts of tourism and enforcing or creating marine protected areas. The second call focuses on promoting international collaboration and capacity building on monk seal observation, research, and awareness raising, including in sites where there have been recent sightings. Projects are expected to start in spring 2021.
“We hope that our joint commitment will not only increase the scope and reach of our respective actions, but also inspire increased collaboration among the various actors who are working hard every day in the field to save the Mediterranean monk seal,” said Auriane Pertuisot, Marine Project Manager of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which is coordinating the Alliance.
For Paule Gros, Director of the Mediterranean Programme of the MAVA Foundation, “collaboration, both among funders and between actors in the field, is key. We all have one common goal – making sure that this iconic species will be able to thrive again.”
The founding members hope that the Alliance will grow over the next few years to include other philantropic organisations, foundations or NGOs with an interest in the species.
(Press release)