Coronavirus pandemic Hospitals in Bonn expecting four patients from Italy
Bonn · The University Hospital Bonn and two other hospitals plan to admit a total of four corona patients from northern Italy. Two of them are from Bergamo, said Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan in a press conference on Friday afternoon.
The University Hospital Bonn (UKB) is expecting two patients with Covid-19 disease, both coming from Italy. Responding to an inquiry, Wolfgang Holzgreve, Chairman of the Board of the University Hospital said that both of them required intensive care. Both are women and 67 years-old. He supports the initiative of the state government and sees it as a sign of European solidarity that the University Hospital Bonn is helping out. The head of the intensive care unit at UKB, Christian Putensen, says they are equipped for all necessary ventilator needs. The two patients will be transferred to the doctors directly from the helicopter landing pad on the roof of the UKB emergency center. "At present, five corona patients are being treated at UKB in the normal ward and one in the intensive care unit.” The Johanniter Hospital also announced that a patient from northern Italy is expected.
As of Friday evening there were 241 positives for those tested for the coronavirus in Bonn. 13 patients have been admitted to Bonn hospitals. Bonn's fire department head Jochen Stein reported that there are currently 196 intensive care beds in Bonn with ventilators and 37 without, and that they are currently at 60 percent capacity. An additional 159 beds are to be added in the short term.
Meanwhile 703 Bonn residents are in quarantine. In the diagnostic center in Bad Godesberg alone, a total of 381 tests were carried out during the week, and 68 additional tests were carried out in the field.
"Bonn hospitals well equipped for the crisis"
Fire department head Jochen Stein said that Bonn hospitals are well prepared for a worsening of the crisis. If the hospital beds were not sufficient, a further step would be taken to ensure that patients from normal wards would be accommodated in buildings near the clinic. This would include the youth hostel on the Venusberg. There are also hotels that have said they are ready to accept patients from normal wards in case of an emergency, Stein said.
Hotels can still be open but not to accommodate tourists. It had been planned to completely close the hotels in Bonn at the request of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) but this was cancelled by the mayor. Not all of the hotel industry in Bonn was in agreement on it, and clarification was still needed as to where persons on essential business trips to Bonn could stay. So far, Dehoga has not contacted the city again about this issue, Sridharan said when asked. In one city, where a complete closure had already been ordered, a hotel had already filed a lawsuit against the municipality. He did not want to say which city it was.
Praise for the citizens of Bonn from the mayor
The Lord Mayor explicitly praised the people of Bonn, most of whom adhered to the ban on contact with other persons in an exemplary manner. Stores which are still allowed to be open are also acting in compliance with regulations. But he did appeal to residents to avoid meeting with several people at home and having parties, as has happened in some cases. The few who still act irresponsibly would be dealt with harshly.
Since the beginning of the week, city public order authorities have written up 90 complaints, 88 of them for unauthorized large groups. "The city's fine department reacts quickly to the charges filed and has already sent out 27 fine notices.” In total, the city has received about 250 telephone calls reporting groups of people who were outdoors. A 5,000 euro fine was levied for illegal prostitution in an apartment.
(Orig. text: Lisa Inhoffen; Translation: ck)
