Fifty beds have been set up for a drill to simulate the activation of a temporary hospital at the Macao East Asian Games Dome in Cotai.
Lei Wai Seng, a clinical director of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said that if a makeshift hospital is needed following a major outbreak of Covid-19, 400 beds could be built in less than two days.
After a cross-departmental drill at the end of this month, the 50 beds and all other temporary facilities, which were set up at a cost of MOP 200,000, will be removed.
The government’s contingency plan for a massive Covid-19 outbreak includes the establishment of an indoor and an outdoor makeshift hospital in and around the East Asian Games Dome.
The indoor hospital would have up to 1,670 beds, comprising 500 beds at the East Asian Games Dome’s Arena and 1,170 beds at the dome’s adjacent Athletes Training and Development Centre, while the outdoor hospital would be set up in four areas outside the East Asian Games Dome and the Athletes Training and Development Centre, providing up to 2,760 beds, making a total of 4,430 beds.
Lei underlined that the SSM has set up the temporary facilities at the East Asian Games Dome’s Arena at the lowest possible cost to enable the simulation of the real operation of the makeshift hospital. Health workers will start working there later this month to make use of the temporary facilities to help them design and draw up the work and service procedures for the makeshift hospital’s operation, before a drill involving various public entities is held there, according to Lei.
Lei said that the makeshift hospital would be operated by 20 doctors and 40 to 50 nurses initially. Lei also said that staff from the local branch of the China International Emergency Medical Team have completed training in operating a makeshift hospital, so they would be the first to start work there.
In addition to ward areas, according to Lei, the makeshift hospital will also have other facilities, such as observation rooms, treatment rooms and first aid rooms.
Lei also noted that based on Covid-19 experiences in neighbouring regions, which are being hard hit by Omicron transmissions, and Macao’s latest Covid-19 vaccination rate – which stood at 86.46 per cent yesterday – the vast majority of patients could be expected to be asymptomatic or showing mild symptoms in case of a Covid-19 outbreak in Macao.
In case the makeshift hospital comes into use, Lei said, the SSM would adjust the number of health workers and the amount of medical resources and equipment used for the hospital’s operation in line with the latest changes in the number and groups of Covid-19 patients.
If many of the patients are senior citizens and those with chronic diseases, Lei said, a higher number of health workers would be deployed to work at the makeshift hospital.
If needs be, Lei said, the SSM could ask private medical institutions, such as Kiang Wu Hospital, to send their health workers to join the makeshift hospital’s operation. If necessary, the local government would also ask the central government to send health workers to support Macao’s battle against Covid-19, Lei said.
In addition, Lei said, the SSM has trained a large number of doctors and nurses to collect swabs for Covid-19 nucleic acid tests in collaboration with non-governmental organisations.
In the next stage, Lei said, the bureau will provide them with training in working at a makeshift hospital, with the aim of preparing them to provide services in case they are needed to support the hospital’s operation, The Macau Post Daily reported.
