BREST, 12 January (BelTA) - The COVID-19 incidence rate in Brest Oblast decreased by more than a half in January over December, Physician-in-Chief of the Brest Regional Clinical Hospital Aleksandr Karpitsky told BelTA.
“In general, the situation is not bad. There is a significant decrease in the number of patients, both outpatient and inpatient. Today we compared the figures for the hospital for 12 January and for 12 December. We see that the number of admissions is down by 52%. Therefore, Brest is looking to reduce the number of beds for COVID-19 patients and to bring hospitals back to normal service. At the same time, 1,561 beds remain reserved for such patients in the region as a whole," Aleksandr Karpitsky said.
Two units of the Brest Regional Clinical Hospital already returned to normal at the end of December. Four more units will follow suit in the coming days and will provide routine medical care.
The regional VD clinic is also returning to business as usual. Hospital No.1 and central city hospital in Brest continue to receive patients with coronavirus infection. "They also report a declining trend in the number of patients. It is likely that this week we will look into whether to allow one of the hospitals or some of their units to return to the usual mode of operation," Aleksandr Karpitsky added.
Today we see more mild and hidden cases compared to the first wave of the pandemic, he said. About two thirds of patients with coronavirus infection have been treated outpatiently. At the same time, there have been more severe cases among inpatients. This conclusion is made on the basis of the data regarding the number of used ICU beds, the illness severity, the time of patients' stay in the hospital.
Aleksandr Karpitsky noted that the regional healthcare institutions have prepared for another wave of the pandemic. The regional hospital and the region as a whole have stepped up the stocks of ventilators, acquired new devices with both budget and sponsorship funds, as humanitarian assistance. The regional hospital has significantly updated the fleet of ventilators. The hospital has acquired 10 new top-notch ventilators with the help of international technical assistance and sponsors. The number of oxygen points has been increased in all hospitals in Brest Oblast.
