Hospital occupancy due to COVID-19 is on the rise in Ecuadorian provinces and several adjust measures

QUITO-CUENCA-AMBATO

Among Cuencanos there is nervousness due to the increase in cases of COVID-19 and its new variants. The figures reveal that there is a daily increase in positive cases and outside public health centers there are long lines to get vaccinated or get tested.

Since the last two weeks, positive cases are on the rise in Cuenca. Last December 20, the zonal coordinator 6 of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), Andrea Bersosa, said that the infections went from 45 to 150, and on January 3 declared that after the holiday they rose to 200.

This positivity also coincides with the numbers of the Municipal Health Council, which undertook two massive test application campaigns: one on December 30 and another from this Monday.

According to figures provided from this entity, they noticed that in the first call a 13.36% positivity, in those applied this Tuesday it rose to 16.8% and on Wednesday it went to 21.08%.

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And it is because they are free trials, long lines of users are formed outside the municipal centers. Blanca Torres, 68, although she already received the third dose weeks ago, yesterday was nervous to get a swab.

On Tuesday it was her daughter and it was positive, and for that reason she was a little fearful.

But his nervousness is twofold, because if he tests positive he will not be able to go out to work. She works as a street vendor and assures that on a good day she can get $ 5, money that will be elusive when she is isolated at home. The same thing happened to his daughter, who closed her business while she recovered.

These numbers coincide with the occupancy of beds in public hospitals. Bersosa commented that until last Monday the Vicente Corral Moscoso of the MSP and the José Carrasco Arteaga of the IESS were with 67% and 100% occupancy, respectively, both in the ICU and in hospitalization.

Precisely due to the unusual demand for care for patients with respiratory problems, an additional triage room was opened at the Vicente Corral Moscoso hospital. In the first months of the pandemic, the general and respiratory services were divided. Since October 2021, due to the decrease in cases, it was unified again, but in December the two spaces were enabled again “due to the increase in infections.”

Alberto Martínez, head of the hospital’s Emergency Service, reported that in the days when the contagion curve began to decline, there was a daily average of 112 patients treated in triage, of which five percent had respiratory problems. But today, of 140 patients seen each day, 36% have breathing difficulties.

Ten provinces register a hospital occupancy of between 90% and 100% due to the care of coronavirus cases. Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón register high demand for beds; on average it is located at 89%, according to data from the Ministry of Health provided to Ecuavisa.

The health situation also worries in Ambato, and motivated the taking of new decisions to stop the circulation of the virus. The mayor of Ambato, Javier Altamirano, pointed out that the capacity in all types of shops, bars, discos, cinemas, theaters and others was reduced to 50%. In addition, in order to protect the level of contagion, he said that all natural and legal persons who carry out economic activities are urged so that upon entering their establishments the presentation of a vaccination card is required.

In Quito, dozens of people were seeking medical attention or getting vaccinated. Monica Álvarez, 50, was yesterday ranked 70, 71 and 72 for a medical evaluation at the Las Casas health center. Her husband has had COVID-19 since last Thursday.

Jessica Cisneros, a specialist in family and community medicine at the Ministry of Health, said that due to the increase in cases of respiratory symptoms, the Las Casas health center has remained a site for assessment. At the Central University 400 to 500 people are inoculated daily. (I)