HCMC sees increase in severe Covid-19 patients

The hospital, which specializes in treating Covid-19 patients reliant on intensive care, has recently received at least 30-35 patients daily, its deputy head Tran Thanh Linh said Wednesday.

Its more than 200 intensive care unit (ICU) beds have almost been fully occupied by Wednesday.

With the current pandemic situation in Ho Chi Minh City, the hospital has proposed the municipal Health Department raises the number of beds to at least 300, and it is expected the facility would need up to 500 to ensure proper care for all critical Covid-19 patients, Linh said.

“By then, the hospital could receive all severe patients, allowing them access to the right treatment, thereby reducing the death rate due to Covid-19,” he said.

HCMC Covid-19 Resuscitation Hospital was established on the premises of an oncology hospital in Thu Duc City in mid-July when the outbreak in HCMC was at its peak.

Back then, it had 1,000 ICU beds, gathering medical workers from more than 20 hospitals across the country.

When the outbreak gradually eased, the hospital reduced its scale to just around 150 beds in early November.

However, in recent weeks, daily infections, severe cases, and deaths have all increased in the city.

In the past 14 days, the average number of daily infections in HCMC has risen by 15 percent against the previous 14 days.

The average number of Covid-19 deaths reported each day currently stands at 70-80, three-four times higher than the level in late October.

On Dec. 5, the city reported 94 Covid-19 fatalities, the highest in two months.

Regarding the plan to scale up the hospital, Linh said medical equipment and machinery have already been made available and the “most concerning problem now is human resources” as the pandemic remains complex nationwide and even medical workers from HCMC now have to support the Covid-19 fight in other localities, especially the Mekong Delta.