in Milan and Lombardy begins “phase one”, looking for beds

Password: get ready. The Lombardy Region, scared by the new wave of infections – Wednesday’s record of new positives in Milan – begins to organize its hospitals in the face of an increase in coronavirus cases, which now seems to be close if it has not already arrived.

The bulletin for the last 24 hours leaves little doubt: 1,844 positives in the region, 504 only under the Madonnina, more than 100 new hospitalizations and 17 deaths, given that it had not been so high in several weeks. The need now is to “map” the places present in the different hospital centers, without neglecting the covid center installed at the Fair and until now in disuse.

Covid, how many hospital places does Lombardy have?

For this Wednesday night, the Lombard welfare counselor, Giulio Gallera -who held a meeting with regional health officials and representatives of private structures- announced that “the epidemiological evolution of recent days has determined the implementation to culminate the first phase of the regional hospital plan, approved by the Executive on June 16 “. In this type of phase one, “1,550 Covid beds in the 18 Hub hospitals” are made available, including “150 intensive care beds, 400 sub-intensive surveillance and 1,000 beds in the wards.”

To date, according to the latest data provided, 64 places are occupied in intensive care and 645 in ordinary wards.

“The plan also contemplates the possibility of reactivating an additional 300 Covid beds in facilities equipped with pulmonology departments – stressed the commissioner – and the definition of areas for the isolation of asymptomatic patients who need surveillance, in the other centers. The operational organization of the hospitals of the Milan and Bergamo Fairs has also been defined, the operation of which will begin after the 150th admission to the regional intensive care units. They represent a fundamental support for Lombard hospitals in the delicate balance between the care of Covid patients and those affected by other pathologies ”.

Even more tampons (even fast ones)

Then another hand will come out of the pads. “A considerable effort will also be made at the level of case tracking – added the Councilor for Wellbeing – with the commitment to work to reach 40,000 daily tampons. To the molecular swabs will be added the rapid ones, which will be available in the coming weeks. They will be employed both in the school sector and in the territory ”.

During the meeting, the issue of home surveillance and the isolation of positive cases, which is activated by the Ats through specific territorial plans, was also addressed. “Our health system is going through a very delicate phase – concluded Gallera – and we have implemented a strategy that puts the quality of care at the center of action. We are prepared to face this new challenge by working in close synergy between hospitals and the local sphere ”.