Health News Roundup: French ICU for COVID exceeded and With Bolivian hospitals filled with COVID-19, moms choose home birthing

With Bolivian hospitals filled with COVID-19, moms choose home birthing Irma Arancibia decided she would give birth to her seventh child at home, part of a trend in the Andean country where soon-to-be-mothers are avoiding hospitals filled beyond capacity with COVID-19 patients.

French ICU for COVID exceeded 15,00

The number of people being treated in French intensive care units for COVID-19 exceeded 1,500 on Monday for the first time since May 27, authorities said, raising fears of local lockdowns being imposed across the country. The new figure of 1,539 is still almost five times lower than an April 8 high of 7,148 but also four times higher than a July 31 low of 371.

With Bolivian hospitals filled with COVID-19, moms choose home birthing

Irma Arancibia decided she would give birth to her seventh child at home, part of a trend in the Andean country where soon-to-be-mothers are avoiding hospitals filled beyond capacity with COVID-19 patients. Arancibia's first six children were born in public hospitals, the costs covered by insurance that does not extend to home birthing. But with fear of the pandemic rising - there have been more than 8,300 coronavirus deaths in Bolivia so far - she says it is worth the expense to pay for a midwife to deliver her baby.

 

(With inputs from agencies.)