ARCHIVED - Exhibition centre in Madrid receives first patients as emergency coronavirus hospital

The first patients were admitted to the trade fair venue on Saturday as Madrid hospital resources are stretched beyond their limit

The massive IFEMA complex in Madrid, which normally holds trade fairs and major events such as the annual FITUR tourism fair and Madrid Fashion Week, has welcomed its first patients after being fitted out as an emergency hospital to cater for patients during the coronavirus emergency.

Initially the centre has been equipped with 1,300 standard hospital beds and has the capacity to house 96 intensive care patients, responding to the extreme overloading of the usual hospital facilities in the region of Madrid. In and around the national capital almost 10,000 cases had been confirmed by Sunday evening (pending the analysis of recent tests which some expect to see the total double), over 800 patients were in intensive care and there had been more than 1,000 fatalities.

The impromptu hospital has been created with the help of the Military Emergencies Unit and also includes an area with 200 beds where the first patients to arrive were taken as they arrived from different hospitals on Saturday. If it proves necessary the facility can be enlarged to house as many as 5,000 beds, indicating the scale of the threat posed by Covid-19 not only in Madrid but also in parts of Spain, such as the Region of Murcia, where the spread of the virus has not reached the same level so far.

By the end of last week some intensive care units in Madrid hospitals were attempting to treat more than double the maximum number of patients for which they are equipped, and the Hospital de La Paz the A&E unit spilled out into a marquee set up outside.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest updates locally for the Region of Murcia and the main information for the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/. Please note, Facebook is limiting the number of posts we are able to make in local groups, and the sheer volume of incoming information is overwhelming, so all updates will be posted on this main page and may not be shared into many local groups.

Email us at: [email protected]

PLEASE help to support the flow and sharing of information by following this page and sharing the information into groups to which you have access.

What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus

The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212), and also urges people to call the 112 emergency services line if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre. Medical staff will be sent to your home to test for the virus.

The Region’s public hospitals have limited the number of visitors to just one per patient.

Sensible precautions

The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:

- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel

- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!

- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity

- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell

- Don´t panic!