Almost half of the beds in general hospitals and ‘hospitels’ nationwide are now occupied, as the Medical Services Department urges cooperation from those with asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 infections by getting treated at home or in community isolation facilities, to free up hospital beds for serious cases.
Of the 174,029 beds in general hospitals and ‘hospitels’ throughout the country, with the exception of Bangkok, 80,756 are occupied. In Bangkok, 25,359 of the 55,369 beds are occupied. In some provinces, such as Nakhon Ratchasima, hospital beds designated for “green” patients are fully occupied, according to Dr. Somsak Akksilp, head of the Medical Services Department.
He also said that there are more cases of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and gastrointestinal bleeding developing among those originally diagnosed as asymptomatic and who now need hospital beds.
The Ministry of Public Health is planning to open more hotel based isolation facilities, to accommodate those infected who cannot remain in isolation in their condominiums or who may not find it convenient to remain in community isolation facilities.
Dr. Somsak assured that those classified, under the universal coverage for emergency patients system, as “UCEP Plus” cases, who need ventilators or oxygen, can be admitted to state and private hospitals.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 infections in several southern provinces, such as Krabi, Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat, have risen sharply to over 1,000 cases a day.
In Songkhla province, the provincial health office issued an announcement yesterday asking those who participated in the Open House event at Hat Yai Wittayalai School on February 15th to monitor their health and to report for ATK tests at their nearest hospital or health office if they develop any symptoms.
In Krabi’s municipal area, a community isolation facility has been set up in the grounds of a rubber factory.
