The University of Northern Norway (UNN) has had a marked increase in hospitalized corona patients in recent days. Last Thursday, 12 patients were admitted. Today, they report 21 hospitalized patients.
– Now we are up to 21 (20 in Tromsø, 1 in Narvik). The numbers fluctuate, something we are also prepared for. History shows that the number of admissions largely follows the contagious pressure in the society around us. It is demanding, but currently manageable thanks to employees who are really on, says communications consultant at UNN, Jørn Resvoll to Dagbladet.
– How many more patients can you receive?
– As the situation is now, we largely manage to keep the hospital in normal operation. Some planned operations have been postponed. If many more corona patients come in, we may have to reduce the rest of the operation, says Resvoll.
He continues:
– We are prepared to be in a demanding situation for a long time, but are well prepared and follow our pandemic plan with various escalation steps. This means that we are prepared to handle a further increase in patients. At the same time, we make daily assessments of the total load, and will continuously implement measures if necessary. For example, by reducing activity in areas where this is justifiable. We reallocate a number of employees to relieve especially in the intensive care units.
Resvoll says that there has been a continuous pressure over several weeks now, and that many employees are now feeling this pressure.
– The situation can be more demanding in some environments where the demand is extra large right now. This applies, among other things, to specialist nurses in the intensive care units, who are always demanding to staff. However, UNN’s employees do a great job, take on extra shifts when needed and make sure to provide patients with proper health care at all times, he says.
Resvoll further says that the capacity is adjusted continuously according to how many admissions the hospital has. They have opened a new ward for covid patients with a milder course of the disease, and can also open a separate cohort for intensive care patients if needed, he states.
– The main challenges lie on the personnel side, not on the equipment side. Especially in our intensive care units, it is a demanding situation. The employees there do a fantastic job of getting it going, says Resvoll.
– How sick are the patients?
– A large majority of our covid patients have a milder course of the disease, and are therefore in bed, not in the intensive care unit.
– How many are on the intensive care unit?
– Due to small conditions in the north, and the danger of identification, Helse Nord has decided that the number of intensive care patients should only be stated at the regional level. Yesterday, a total of 8 corona patients were admitted to intensive care units at the various health trusts in Helse Nord.
50 new cases of corona infection were registered in Tromsø in the last 24 hours. 502 tests were performed, and on Tuesday there are 258 people in isolation in the municipality, writes iTromsø.
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