Covid-19 in Bulgaria: Varna runs out of ICU beds – report
There are no free intensive care beds at hospitals in Bulgaria’s district of Varna while beds for non-emergency cases are running short, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported on March 16.
Varna is among the 27 Covid-19 “red zone” districts in Bulgaria, with an infection rate of 402 per 100 000 population as of the week ending March 14, according to a report by the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases.
BNT said that there were patients from the Shoumen and Dobrich districts seeking medical help at hospitals in Varna, creating further pressure. In Shoumen, more than half the hospital beds are occupied by patients with Covid-19, the report said.
Following a decision by the Varna regional crisis staff, 490 beds were opened last week for the treatment of patients with Covid-19. The report said that today, the crisis staff would be asked to make available more intensive care beds.
The district governor of Shumen is holding talks with his colleagues from neighbouring districts to take over some of the patients. The problem is that the hospital is the only one in the region and in addition to Covid-19 patients, also accepts emergencies.
Intensive care beds in Dobrich ran out three weeks ago, BNT said.
In a separate report on March 16, BNT said that beds for Covid-19 patients at hospitals in the Blagoevgrad district were running out.
In Gotse Delchev, there were no vacant beds and no possibility of making more available, according to the report. Thirty-eight additional beds were made available last week.
BNT said that at the hospital in Gotse Delchev, as soon as a bed is vacated, it is taken over by a new patient.
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