Between December 3 and 26, in full year-end celebrations, the most serious COVID-19 patients who have to be cared for in the country’s intensive care units (ICU) went from 2,765 (2,043 confirmed and 722 suspected) to 4,122 (3,164 and 958, respectively), an increase that represents 49.07 percent.
In that time, consequently, the general occupancy of ICUs nationwide has increased by 10 percent, from 52.84 percent to 62.52 percent, and the most recent data available (from December 26) indicates that Today 4,286 of these units are available to attend to the most critical patients. This is clear from the official statistics of the Ministry of Health, which reflect in these occupations the increase in infections with the new coronavirus that the country lives in various regions.
And although in that period the ICU capacity of the health system has also continued to be expanded with 142 new beds, the truth is that territorial entities such as Bogotá, Valle del Cauca, Antioquia, Norte de Santander and Risaralda continue to mark the numbers of patients most critical of covid-19.
(Also read: The pandemic in the new year: hopes and more masks)
Bogotá, for example, in that period (from December 3 to 26) went from 1,500 intensive care beds occupied 1,500 to 1,734 and today it shows a general occupation of 77.4 percent. At the beginning of the month, that indicator was 10 points below. In other words, at this moment, Bogotá only has 505 of these units available, which in total is 2,239.
When the occupation of the ICUs destined exclusively for the most serious patients of covid-19 is reviewed, the capital of the country shows a percentage of 68.4 percent, product of 1,131 interned in these services with a positive test of the virus and 14 cases that remain under suspicion.
By regions
At a glance at the departments, Norte de Santander continues to show worrying figures. The most recent data available indicates that the occupancy is at 87.44 percent and at this moment there are just over 50 beds. In this region, it is worth saying, the occupation reached over 90 percent, but the capacity has been expanded thanks to the intervention of the Ministry of Health.
Another region of concern is Risaralda, which currently has an occupancy of 85 percent in its 216 intensive care units. Just two weeks ago, about 70 percent of their beds had patients, and their numbers are unrelenting, with more than 500 new cases reported every day for the past week.
(You may be interested: Only half of Colombians would get the covid-19 vaccine)
The UCI of Tolima, likewise, continue to fill up more and more. Their most recent occupancy data dictates that 81 percent of these critical care services were full, five percent more than 12 days ago. The same occurs in Valle del Cauca, where the current occupation is above 80 percent.
In Antioquia, on the other hand, the occupation of these services has decreased in recent weeks and today 72 percent of its 1,250 beds are with patients, the majority by covid-19 patients.
It should be remembered that in the 297 days of pandemic that Colombia completes today since the first case detected, on March 6, 24,360 citizens in the national territory have had to be hospitalized in intensive care units for the new coronavirus. This represents 1.5 percent of the 1,584,903 cases detected until December 26. On July 27, at the peak of infections, 206 people entered the ICU.
(See: Covid-19, on the way to being the first cause of death this year in Colombia)
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