CEO of Pirogov Emergency Hospital: We Are Working at Our Limits Now, More Stringent Measures Are Imminent

"Our hospital is now working at its limits and the authorities need to think about more stringent measures to prevent hospitals from being overburdened. Perhaps we should already take care of younger children. Unfortunately, maybe even the kindergartens should be closed temporarily. The number of newly infected small patients continues to swell" CEO of Pirogov emergency hospital  Prof. Asen Baltov told the BNR. The hospital is full almost to capacity, he added.

There are 11 children with coronavirus infection in Pirogov, Baltov reported. Children are in good condition, treated with intravenously placed antibiotics. Today, at a meeting with the Health Minister, the Director of Pirogov will propose to set up another 20 beds for small patients, the so-called emergency pediatric cases, as well as an additional 10 intensive care beds due to the shortage of this type of beds throughout Sofia. "About 10% of the total number of hospitalized are intended for intensive care ward," Baltov explained during the Before All talk show.

Currently, 400 beds are allocated in Pirogov for severe and medium-severe cases of Covid-19 and 48 for resuscitation activities.

Prof. Baltov believes that for at least two weeks the restaurants and pubs should stop working again because "no matter how much they say it doesn't matter, everything matters."

"Proceeding with the planned hospitalizations exactly in the next two weeks is hardly the most important thing now. It is more important to pass the peak so that we can then work normally", commented Asen Baltov on the objections and criticisms of the Bulgarian Hospital Association against the suspension of planned activities in medical institutions.

According to the mathematical model, the peak is expected in...