In a statement released this Sunday, the IESS reported that the hospital of this facility in southern Quito has decided to allow a larger number of beds, increasing from 64 to 140.
The aim is to provide comprehensive care for patients with respiratory problems, the number of which has been increasing since last November, according to the statement.
He also points out that there will be more doctors and nurses in the children’s emergency department, depending on the need.
Quito is one of three cities in Ecuador to have seen a significant increase in Covid-19 cases over the past week, although Guayaquil has concentrated the highest number of infections with 1,400 over the past week.
Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas is another area where, in addition to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes Covid-19, other pathogens are causing an increase in patients with respiratory diseases.
Health officials are recommending citizens to get vaccinated against the seasonal influenza and keep anti-Covid-19 doses up to date to prevent severe symptoms and deaths, as well as to use the mask in risky spaces.
The Health Ministry has not yet released the number of cases detected over the past week, but the latest statistics suggest an increase in those infected with Covid-19.
The head of the portfolio, José Ruales, explained two days ago that despite the increase, there are no reports of more serious earnings.
The peak of patients with respiratory diseases, he believes, is partly due to climate changes and the abandonment of the use of the mask amid greater population mobility.
Since the pandemic began, this South American nation has reported more than a million cases.
Images of dead bodies on the streets of some Ecuadorian cities like Guayaquil circulated around the world in the first months of Covid-19, but the Ministry of Health promoted a vaccination campaign that managed to control the disease.
or/avr