All respiratory patients irrespective of whether COVID or not are being diverted to COVID hospitals for treatment. There are no ICU beds available in most of these hospitals for this reason. This is a dangerous situation for non COVID patients with respiratory ailments.

It exposes non COVID respiratory patients to a risk of developing COVID19 and this is a high risk group in case they contract COVID19 from other patients or hospital staff. Flip side, if a non COVID hospital takes such patients and they test positive the hospital will be sealed.

Colleagues are reporting acutely ill respiratory patients desperate for an ICU bed roaming in cardiac ambulances being turned away by hospital after hospital. Currently I’m trying to arrange ICU bed for a colleagues mom who has ILD acute exacerbation but not getting an ICU bed.

Ironically most non COVID hospitals are virtually empty. So even though they aren’t sealed, they aren’t exactly functioning. There is an obvious mismatch of resource utilisation, I don’t know whether this can be rectified without permitting all hospitals to take in all patients.

A potential solution is to allow all hospitals to take in known respiratory patients, but mandate use PPE for all staff and keep patient isolated with neighbouring beds empty till COVID testing is done. It will add to cost for patient but at least they will get treatment.