Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Bangkok has opened two new field hospitals with a total of 500 beds for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms in the context of rising infection number.
According to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s affiliated hospitals have about 760 beds allocated for moderate-to-severe COVID-19 cases. As of July 20, about 47% of their beds were occupied, including 17 severe cases.
When every hospital in Bangkok has been counted, the capacity to handle COVID-19 patients is 5,600 beds. At present, about 3,000 beds or 47% are occupied.
To prepare for the surge, BMA has converted facilities at the Bangkok Arena in Nong Chok district and Chaloem Phrakiat Sport Training Centre in Thung Kru district into field hospitals. Altogether, the new facilities can accommodate about 500 patients with mild symptoms.
Chadchart said the BMA would coordinate with other parties to add more beds if required.
He said that in three Bangkok hospitals run by the Department of Medical Services - Lerdsin, Rajavithi and Nopparat Rajathanee, the combined daily case is about 1,500.
The department has suggested all Bangkok hospitals resume their acute respiratory infection clinics due to the rise in COVID-19 infections, he said.
On July 21, Thailand reported 2,607 hospitalised COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths over the past 24 hours. Since COVID-19 broke out in Thailand in early 2020, the country has reported over 4.56 million infections, including 31,073 deaths./.
