A contingency plan is applied in the MSP hospitals. For the Minister of Health, Ximena Garzón, the peak of infections will occur next week.
In a prefabricated structure lead-colored is the making of swab samples for COVID-19, in one of the parking lots of the lESS Quito Sur hospital, which is located in the El Recreo sector, in the south of the city.
It is located about 50 meters from the white triage tents and the emergency area of that medical home. To get there you must cross the street.
It is one of the implementations that have been done to differentiate the spaces linked to the disease.
Before 08:00 this Thursday, more than 50 people They were already outside the triage tents that had been placed for some months in another of the establishment’s parking lots.
In September 2021 there was an average of 15 hospitalized patients and about 60 to 65 arriving per day with respiratory symptoms.
This figure has been increasing gradually during the last weeks to such an extent that, at the end of December of last year, there was data “Worrying” that show an increase in cases, as well as infections, said Juan Sánchez, medical technical director of the hospital.
“For the week of December 26 we had an average of 250 patients a day who reached respiratory triage, for this week, an average of 500 patients who arrive daily at the respiratory triage tent to be treated ”, he said.
However, he added, most they are mild cases, but they have forced to convert and increase areas to attend patients.
Of the 500 people who go daily, about 400 a swab is done, In addition, they also receive samples from other medical units.
In the tents there is a waiting room with digital shifts to do respiratory triage; in some cases there is scheduling of swabs or they are referred to homes.
He pointed out that they have made some changes, as he explained that there are people who are sick with respiratory symptoms, require medical attention, while there are those who go in search of a test out of fear or risk of contagion.
Users are told that they should isolate themselves if they have onset of symptoms and in 72 hours take a test.
Price of PCR tests to detect COVID-19 is $ 45.08, according to government entity
They have 345 beds and of them there are 113 enabled COVID hospitalization and 95 are busy; 18 seats FIA with a free bed without a waiting list and 8 for intermediate care. The occupation is from 90 %.
“The hospital has a conversion plan, at a maximum point we have 710 positions enabled for the care of COVID patients; gradually, according to the flow of patients that we are seeing, we can open more areas and converting areas for this attention ”, he expressed.
Of the people admitted with the disease, 20% have incomplete schematics or without immunization and there are also people with the booster.
“What we are seeing at the moment is the consequence of the Quito festivities and from the first Christmas meetings until December 15, 18. We still have those possible infections caused at Christmas and New Years ”, reflected the doctor.
Regarding the hospital capacity in Quito, according to the Ministry of Health of the Capital Municipality, there is no waiting list or saturation.
For COVID hospitalization There is 53% occupancy in hospitals of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), 67% in the rest of the public network and 28% in the complementary network, while for FIA, 55% occupancy in the MSP, 50% in the rest of the public network and 0% in the complementary network.
The Secretary of Health, Francisco Viteri, indicated to Quito councilors that the capital of the Republic remains in orange alert level until a new meeting of the Metropolitan Emergency Operations Committee (COE), scheduled for January 25.
Quito remains on an epidemiological orange alert; the capital registers an increase in infections by COVID-19
In the hospitals of the Ministry of Health, According to Minister Ximena Garzón, there is a contingency plan which states that once they reach the 85% occupancy Other beds that were destined to treat patients with other pathologies will begin to be released.
He added that that is already being implemented in some provinces.
“We have all the supplies, we have protective equipment for health personnel, we have health personnel and in addition to that we have the necessary medication”, Indicated the official for whom the contagion peak it will occur next week.
The head of Health maintained -in a radio interview- that there are some 280 enabled beds in intensive care, which can be expanded to about 500.
According to Garzón, the trend curve of the disease shows that there are “many cases”, at the same level as the first wave, but -he added- the mortality is very low while the occupation in hospitals is not as high as would be expected with so much contagion.
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