MOSCOW, March 30. /TASS/. About 78,000 hospital beds have been prepared in Russia to receive coronavirus patients, Russian Minister of Healthcare Mikhail Murashko said on Monday.
"As for the total number of beds, which are to be prepared, I said that it was increased to almost 100,000. By now, 78,000 beds have already been prepared," he said at a meeting of the Presidium of the Government Coordination Council to control the spread of the novel coronavirus infection in Russia.
"By the end of the week we will prepare at least two more institutions, which will be fully converted into facilities for working with this category of patients. We <…> will make up for medical staff and medicines to these institutions," Murashko added.
Moscow
Of these, roughly 1,400 beds for potential coronavirus patients will be ready in Moscow in April, according to Deputy Moscow Mayor Anastasia Rakova. "It is necessary to see that every bed could be supplied with oxygen, since the main problems of these patients are those with lungs, they need oxygen support," she said. "Before mid-April we will make ready another 700 beds, and about the same number will be provided by the end of April," the senior official told Rossiya-1 television.
At the moment, about seven hospital buildings are under repairs in the capital city to bring them in line with the necessary standards. The deputy mayor reiterated that a clinic for 700 hospital beds was unveiled in Kommunarka on the outskirts of Moscow on March 2, and that two more hospitals for 240 beds have been equipped within the past two weeks.
She said a brand new hospital building for 400 beds is ready to receive coronavirus patients. From Friday, Moscow’s 1,300-bed multi-discipline clinic No. 15 will be only receiving coronavirus patients, the deputy mayor added. Additional capacities are considered.
She said the capital city has ‘gained time’ which it uses to provide more hospital beds solely to treat the novel coronavirus. "Over the past three weeks we have launched a number of new clinics specifically to treat this disease," Rakova added. "Moreover, we are now engaged in active work with our federal colleagues and private companies to consider their hospital bed reserves," she added.
Moscow Region
Moscow Region's authorities plan to increase the number of beds in infection hospitals by 1,200 over the coronavirus spread. Currently, the region has 2,700 available beds, Governor Andrei Vorobyov said Wednesday.
"There are 2,700 beds in Moscow Region’s infection hospitals, but, due to the coronavirus spread, we allocate space for additional 1,200 beds. They will have all the necessary equipment, including resuscitation and ventilator hardware," the governor wrote on his VK social network page.
Of those, 500 will be placed in a hospital in Zvenigorod. "I’ve been there with inspection today. A rapid renovation of two buildings for coronavirus patients is underway there. The facilities with isolation wards are to be ready by April 4-5," the Governor said.
He also noted that the region had procured 550 additional ventilators. "Together with the Russian government, we take measures to procure 770 more. They will go to hospitals in a number of cities […] — a total of five to seven hospital networks in various parts of the region," he informed.
The coronavirus outbreak was recorded in central China in late December 2019. A total of 199 countries have been hit by the infection, which was labeled as a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. According to the latest data, over 724,000 people have contracted the virus, and almost 34,000 have died. More than 1,830 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia by now, nine patients have died, 66 have recovered.