The government of Puerto Rico has already identified a hospital institution that, if an outbreak of the coronavirus strain known as COVID-19 was reported on the island, would be the only place of care to treat all infected patients.
“That is already planned,” said La Fortaleza Public Affairs Secretary Osvaldo Soto.
“Not to mention the hospital institution, there is already a planning in that regard. At this time, we are going to reserve the information, ”he added.
The four suspected cases of COVID-19 that have been identified on the island, until Tuesday, receive medical attention at two San Juan hospitals – the Auxilio Mutuo hospital and the Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital – and the Mayagüez Medical Center.
The protocol established by the Department of Health indicates that patients with symptoms associated with the coronavirus (dry cough, fever and respiratory distress) should go to the emergency room of any hospital to receive medical attention.
The Secretary of Health, Rafael Rodríguez Mercado, indicated that part of the $ 5 million that the Board of Fiscal Supervision (JSF) authorized to manage the emergency for the coronavirus have been used to begin making improvements at the selected hospital.
“Part of them has been used for the structure of hospitals, a facility where we are fixing some isolation rooms,” said the secretary, detailing that other items have been used for an advertising campaign to guide citizens and strengthen the line telephone 3-1-1, among others.
Relatives of patients hospitalized at Ashford expressed concern on Monday about the presence of two suspicious cases in the institution. Rodríguez Mercado said that part of the reasoning for designating a single hospital to treat patients is to reduce the possibility of infection among those receiving other medical services.
“We must prepare everything just in case, one does not know. There are many people who know that a medical institution has a patient, they get scared, what has happened, and we don’t want to harm hospitals. We are aware of that, ”said the secretary.
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