Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro's State Government on Saturday inaugurated its first field hospital dedicated exclusively to patients infected with the new coronavirus.
The hospital, a shared private-public initiative, was built in 19 days and will start working with 30 beds, with 10 intensive care units.
Gradually, more beds will be made available with a maximum capacity of 200 beds, including 100 intensive care units.
More than 1,000 people, including medical staff and support personnel, will be working in the hospital.
Although being a field hospital, the building is aimed for critical patients, having all equipment needed for complex care, with 60 respirators, tomography, radiology, ultrasound and echocardiography machines.
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Besides the Lagoa-Barra hospital, as it is called, the Rio de Janeiro State Health Secretary will provide 1,800 beds in eight other field hospitals and one modular, and will be gradually opened during May in the capital, metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro and throughout the state.
As of Saturday, at least 4,000 people have died and more than 58,000 have been infected by the new coronavirus in Brazil.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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(With inputs from AP)
