The coronavirus in Belgium is causing a massive influx of patients into hospitals. Institutions of the Brussels group IRIS are saturated and have to transfer patients to other structures.
The hospitals of the Brussels IRIS network outside QFCUH (Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital) are treating 60 COVID-19 patients (57 confirmed and 3 suspects) on Monday in their intensive care units, said Etienne Wéry, managing director for the network, on Monday IRIS.
These figures relate to the CHU Brugmann, the CHU Saint-Pierre, the Iris Sud hospitals (which include the Baron Lambert, Etterbeek-Ixelles, Molière-Longchamp and Joseph Bracops hospitals), and the Jules Bordet Institute.
The theoretical occupancy rate for intensive beds is 85%. It drops to 75% when the hospitals of the Chirec group (Delta, Braine l’Alleud, Saint Anne) and the Erasmus hospital are taken into account, adds Etienne Wéry.
100% of new intensive care beds are assigned to COVID-19
Iris Sud hospitals are saturated with first patient transfers which are made to other hospitals. CHU Brugmann also has a high occupancy rate for intensive beds, namely 92% compared to theoretical ceilings.
Bordet limits its COVID-19 capacities by transferring patients to other hospitals, but for specific reasons, the institute cares for many immunocompromised cancer patients.
“60% of approved intensive care beds must be assigned to COVID-19 and 100% of new intensive care beds are assigned to COVID-19”, explains Etienne Wéry.
“According to national recommendations, 4 times this total number corresponds to the number of hospital beds, not ICU (intensive care units), assigned to COVID-19. These are the limits we are talking about.”
At Saint-Luc university clinics, 23 intensive beds are occupied by Covid-19 confirmed patients out of nearly fifty available. The UZ Brussel counted this Monday 111 patients treated for the COVID-19 virus. These are 88 confirmed Coronavirus patients and 11 patients whose test returned negative.
The other patients are awaiting the result of their test. For the moment, 20 confirmed COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in the intensive care unit, including 12 on a ventilator. The first COVID-19 patient was able to leave the intensive care unit on Sunday evening, after having stayed there for 10 days on a ventilator, to be taken care of in a COVID care unit for non-critical care.
Of the 147 COVID-19 confirmed patients who have been hospitalized at UZ Brussel since the start of the pandemic, 55 have already been discharged. UZ Brussel recorded 13 deaths linked to the virus. The patients concerned were between 60 and 95 years old.
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