In the French overseas territories, the health situation remains very critical in Guadeloupe and Martinique. Although on the decline, in week 33, the incidence rate remains very high, reaching 1,885 per 100,000 (-16%) in Guadeloupe and 896 (-22%) in Martinique, with hospital capacity at full capacity. A very significant excess mortality across all causes and age groups has been observed since week 30 in these two territories. In Martinique, in week 34, 21.0% of the locally vaccinated population had received a full vaccination regimen; in Guadeloupe, the figure was 20.3% (compared to 62.7% nationwide as of August 24, 2021).

To address the influx of COVID-19 patients currently affecting these territories, Santé publique France and the Ministry of Solidarity and Health have been coordinating, since early August, the procurement and logistics of supplies and medications to meet the need for increased hospital capacity. Santé publique France has thus purchased and assembled, in record time, large volumes of supplies to urgently equip more than 100 critical care beds.

An unprecedented mobilization

The fully loaded cargo plane that departed from mainland France on Sunday morning transported over 245 ^{cubic meters} of supplies to equip 40 intensive care beds (194 pallets to Guadeloupe and Martinique in 24 hours, the equivalent of 4 commercial flights). Under normal circumstances, the equipment is shipped by sea, with delivery times incompatible with the urgency of the situation. Some of the equipment is particularly bulky: beds, over 200 oxygen cylinders, biomedical equipment (dialysis machines, ventilators, several tons of oxygen concentrators, X-ray machines, etc.). This flight also allowed for the transport of supplies ordered by hospitals to expedite their delivery.

This is one of the largest operations carried out by Santé publique France with its partner Set Cargo TempoOne to the Caribbean. At the same time, Santé publique France has been shipping other supplies and medications via commercial flights every week since early August. This operation is part of an unprecedented mobilization by Santé publique France and the Ministry of Solidarity and Health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pharmaceutical Facility: A Key Player in the COVID-19 Vaccination Effort

Santé publique France operates a pharmaceutical facility under the authority of a responsible pharmacist. At the request of the Minister of Health, we handle the procurement, importation, storage, transport, and distribution of health products necessary to protect the population against serious health threats.

In the context of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Santé publique France serves as the government’s logistics operator. In collaboration with the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, we manage the operational coordination of logistics flows, ensuring the pharmaceutical quality of the health products entrusted to us throughout the entire supply chain (receipt, storage, and distribution).

Since the start of the crisis, we have been storing numerous products at more than 20 distribution centers and distributing them throughout mainland France and overseas territories under often very tight deadlines and conditions. These may include personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, hairnets, gowns…), medications (vaccines, resuscitation drugs, solvents), as well as medical and biomedical equipment (ultra-low temperature freezers, ventilators, dialysis machines, oxygen concentrators, X-ray equipment, morphine pumps, feeding pumps, syringe pumps, hospital beds, syringes, needles, etc.). All these products are used to equip or reinforce healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and vaccination centers serving healthcare workers and the general public.

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