All Bangkok hospitals told to accept severe Covid cases as beds run out
As hospital beds near capacity, all public hospitals in Bangkok were ordered to accept Covid-19 patients with moderate and severe symptoms on Monday.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said hospital bed capacity had reached 96.06 per cent under the pressure of Covid-19, which killed 10 people in the capital on Sunday as Thailand logged 5,406 new cases.
On Friday, it was reported that only 27 ICU beds were empty in the capital.
BMA spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said the total number of beds for Covid-19 treatment had been increased from 1,934 to 2,946.
The BMA also plans to add 526 more beds for moderately and severely ill patients (yellow and red category), bringing the total to 886. Meanwhile, capacity at Bangkok’s three field hospitals and hospitels will be increased to 3,040 beds.
The spokesman said the BMA, hospitals and Thai Chamber of Commerce are preparing 25 out-of-hospital vaccination centres with potential to jab 50,000-70,000 people per day. The aim is to control the outbreak by vaccinating around 70 per cent of the population within a month, he added.
