Paris doctors warn of catastrophic overload of virus cases

PARIS (AP) — Critical care doctors in Paris say that surging coronavirus infections could soon overwhelm their ability to care for the sick, possibly forcing them to choose which patients to treat.

The sobering warning was delivered Sunday in a newspaper opinion piece signed by 41 Paris-region doctors. The alarming appeal comes as French President Emmanuel Macron has been vigorously defending his decision not to completely lockdown France again as he did last year.

Since January, Macron’s government has instead imposed a nationwide overnight curfew and followed that with a grab-bag of other restrictions to try to curb infection rates. The doctors say a full lockdown is needed and warn they will be practicing “catastrophic medicine” shortly as cases peak.