Oman's COVID-19 field hospital crosses 90% capacity

Muscat: Oman’s COVID-19 field hospital crossing 90 per cent of its capacity has led to many people still waiting for a bed, so that they can be treated for coronavirus.

There are about 124 patients currently undergoing treatment at the hospital, which was originally set up with 100 beds, and expanded to 150 on May 25, 2021.

Dr Nabil Al Lawati, the director of the field hospital, told Oman TV that while they had enough medical equipment, more staff would help them raise bed numbers to 200, enabling them to take care of more people who need urgent attention.

“There are people who are waiting for their turn to get a bed, as the situation is difficult and the number of COVID-19 patients is increasing,” he said.

“The cases to which we are attending right now are more extreme, compared to the previous waves of infections. People who reach us are those suffering from severe oxygen shortage, or obvious damage to the respiratory system.”

“Such symptoms used to previously only manifest in the second week of a person being infected, which shows this version of the disease is more severe,” added Al Lawati, who admitted that many of the patients who were admitted to the field hospital were below the age of 60.

“Only a small portion of people who have been injected with two doses of the vaccine have been admitted, while those who have received a single dose have less harsh symptoms,” he said. “Please take the vaccine as soon as you are able, and continue to follow COVID precautionary measures.”

On an average, the hospital receives about 24 patients a day, although Sunday saw 31 people admitted to the facility.

“The longer patients stay at the hospital, the more pressure is exerted on us to receive new admissions,” said the director. “The hospital is under huge pressure, since the numbers of new cases continue to rise.”

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, there are 24,946 active cases of the virus in Oman. Some 236,440 people have tested positive for the disease since the start of the pandemic. With a recovery rate of 89.4 per cent, 211,494 people have recovered from COVID-19.

There are 1,196 patients currently admitted to hospitals, and 373 are in intensive care. 173 people were admitted to the hospital in the 24 hours leading to June 14, 2021.

Sadly, 2,532 people have lost their lives to the disease.