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From Barcelona Hospitals prepare as a second wave of Covid-19 hospital admissions is underway, Reuters reports.
For Julio Pascual, a sharp increase in admissions for coronavirus at the Barcelona hospital where he works as medical director carries an unpleasant feeling of deja vu.
How From Spain With a total of nearly one million registered cases, daily admissions at the Hospital del Mar in the Catalan capital have more than doubled to around 16 in recent days.
Located in a pandemic hotspot, the hospital is better prepared to treat Covid-19 patients than it was in March, but Pascual is concerned about a chronic shortage of nurses and the risks that overworked staff could burn out.
It is not the speed of the first wave, but there is an obvious rebound in cases. If the rhythm [of Covid-19 hospitalisations] from last week continues, rescheduling and suspending some non-priority activities will be inevitable.
With the most confirmed cases in the West Europe, Spain is struggling to manage its second wave.
Restrictions have been imposed throughout the country, especially in the two most affected regions, with Madrid placed in partial lock and Catalonia closing bars and restaurants.
Xavier Borras, medical director of Hospital de Sant Pau, also in Barcelona, told Reuters:
We need to convince people not to interact socially. What is at stake are non-Covid patients … Resources that worked well until a week ago are simply not enough anymore.
In the 24 hours through Tuesday afternoon, coronavirus admissions there rose to 11, the highest since late April, though it is still far from the spikes of 50 to 60 daily attacks in late March, he said.
Borras said the hospital was expanding its number of beds for coronavirus patients, which could eventually lead to the cancellation of scheduled non-urgent operations.
Since October 5, figures from the national health ministry show that hospitalizations for Covid-19 have increased by around 20%, but with strong regional variations. In Catalonia they rose 71% to 2,410 while in Madrid they fell 12%.
A source at La Princesa Hospital in Madrid said some non-urgent procedures were postponed about two weeks ago, but that admissions have stabilized since then.
