Experts urge mandatory isolation in Colombia, Duque embarks on religious rant

by Adriaan Alsema March 17, 2020

Colombia’s hospitals and epidemiologists called for mandatory isolation on Monday to prevent the collapse of the country’s healthcare system. The president asked the Virgin Mary for protection.

Neither Colombia’s medical society nor Duque were kidding.

A recent study estimated that a coronavirus outbreak in Colombia could infect 15 million people, 750,000 of whom would require hospitalization in the country with only 85,000 hospital beds.

One Intensive Care Unit for 19 to 38 patients
Using the same estimates of the American Hospital Association, between 150,000 and 300,000 people who contract the virus would require an intensive care unit (ICU), which is where an outbreak would cause an almost instant crisis and, most importantly, deaths.

The coronavirus is a respiratory disease and ICUs are the only hospital beds with oxygen provision. Colombia has less than 8,000 ICUs, less than the city of San Diego, California, for example.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/experts-urge-mandatory-isolation-in-colombia-duque-embarks-on-religious-rant/