Hospital preparations
During the first year of the Coronavirus pandemic, special preparations were made to increase the numbers of available hospital beds. Read a cronology below taken from our Coronavirus news reporting.
Hospital preparations Crononology
27-03-2021 The number of Coronavirus patients in Andalucia hospitals is now 1.009 of which 261 are currently in intensive care.
09-02-2021 The third wave peak was 724 of Covid patients in intensive care in Andalucia hospitals.
31-01-2021 The third wave peak was 4.962 Covid patients in Andalucia hospitals.
20-01-2021 As the third wave continues to rise there are 2.894 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Andalucia hospitals of which 406 were in intensive care.
The Junta de Andalucía announced it has re-activated the 4,500 Plan, which consists of ensuring that number of hospital beds available to attend to the case of Covid in the face of the advance of the third wave. This consists of 3,000 conventional beds and 1,500 in intensive care (ICU)
Andalusian hospitals will have a maximum capacity of 15,280 beds for all patients and 2,604 intensive care beds. In addition, 5,475 beds could be installed, conditioning hotels and 'Tiempo Libre' (summer youth holiday residence). In the province of Seville 876 beds would be installed in the Bellavista and Macarena hotels and the Constantina and Écija residences.
31-12-2020 At the end of 2020 there were 976 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Andalucia hospitals of which 210 were in intensive care.
10-11-2020 The peak was recorded when there were 3.478 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Andalucia hospitals of which 460 were in intensive care.
30-10-2020 There are currently 2,312 Coronavirus patients in Andalucia hospitals of which 293 are in intensive care. It is reported that plans and preparations are underway again for the use of hotels as hospitals. El Mundo reported that the Junta de Andalucía had confirmed that it was in contact with the Hotel industry which had provided a list of posible hotels that could be 'medicalised'. No details were provided. In the last weeks the pressure on hospitals had increases and at Andalucia's largest Virgen del Rocío in Sevilla press reports covered this. Junta - Salud do not provide data on ocupation by centre, so it is dificult to confirm this.
Andalucia councilor and Government spokesperson Elias Bendodo announced that the old Hospital San Cecilio in Granada has been reactivated with 200 beds, and in Jaén the annex of the Hospital Puerta de Andalucía likewise. Aditionally hotels in Sevilla arew being 'medicalised'.
Certain hospitals had also beeen prepared as evacuation centres for senior citizen residences should this become necessary. Named hospitals were Doctor Oloriz, in Granada; el Vithas Nisa, in Sevilla; Hospital Civil, in Málaga; and HARE in Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz.
27-10-2020 Elias Bendodo announced that the region will increase its emergency plan to 4.500 Coronavirus patient capacity from the 'current 3.000 patient capacity plan' which presumably is the 15.000 senario anounced on 20-03-2020 (see below).
27-10-2020 There are currently 2,262 Coronavirus patients in Andalucia hospitals of which 282 are in intensive care. 13% of hospital patients and 18% of intensive care patients are being treated for Coronavirus in Andalucia. Nationally the figure is 14% and 24% respectively.
22-09-2020 Hospital admissions in Andalucia were about 10 per day in Andalucia throughout the early summer. In August they increased to about 30 per day and in September increased to about 100 per day.
17-04-2020 Junta de Andalucia - Salud first published in its daily updates a graph of hospilisations. It could be seen that peak was on 30th March where 2.709 people were hospitalised with Coronavirus of these 438 in intensive care.
10-04-2020 Junta de Andalucia - Salud published in its daily updates that 1.753 patients were in Hospital in Andalucia and 389 in intensive care. On this day there were 9.510 cases indicating that the 9.000 plan above had spare capacity for intensive care beds. Hospital patients and Intensive care beds were reported daily from then on and dropped every day. The Junta - Salud had waited until figures were dropping before releasing them to the public.
04-04-2020 Junta de Andalucia - Salud published as a one off footnote to its daily updates that 2.020 patients were in Hospital in Andalucia. On this day there were 7.869 cases indicating that the '9.000 plan' (see below) above, was reached with 7.869 cases.
30-03-2020 The first wave peak was 2.709 of which 438 were in intensive care. (This data was not publish by Junta de Andalucia until mid April once the peak had passed and the trend was clearly downwards).20-03-2020 Andalucia government approved two plans on how to be prepared deal with peaks of 9,000 and 15,000 cases of coronavirus in Andalucia. Steps are now being taken to identify and ‘medicalize' closed hotels.
In the 9,000 plan, 2,026 patients would be in hospital with 610 in intensive care. In the 15,000 scenario it would be 2,970 and 892 respectively.
The public and private hospitals in Andalucia have respirators in 851 resuscitation rooms and 696 operating theatres which could be used by coronavirus patients assuming all operation were stopped. Hospital beds in Andalucia number 20,672.
Additional 3.250 beds from ‘resedencias tiempo libre' (Government run holiday hostels) and Inturjoven (Youth Hostels) could be made available, supported by just 1.175 from closed hotels. These would be for both existing patients and Coronavirus patients to convalesce before being discharged. ( Source )