US donates 2 field hospitals to Trinidad and Tobago

THE US government has donated two field hospitals (temporary/mobile hospitals), each with a 40-bed capacity, to Trinidad and Tobago to aid in the fight against the covid19 pandemic.

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds announced this at the Health Ministry’s virtual press conference on Wednesday morning.

He said one will be added to the Couva Hospital and the other at the Jean Pierre Complex in Port of Spain.

The 40 beds include High Dependency (HDU) and Intensive Care Units (ICU).

“So if additional capacity is required, these can be pressed into use and the plans for the actual deployment of these have been outlined.

“If additional capacity is required then those will be used but they’re currently not operational but available.”

He also said 130 beds have been added to an initiative the ministry recently launched, “halfway houses.” Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards, principal medical officer of health, had said these were a fourth level of care for those who are recovering but "not yet fit to go home.”

Hinds said because of this addition, the parallel health care system’s occupancy has decreased.

The ward are now at 41 per cent occupancy, while ICU is at 74 per cent and HDU is at 94 per cent.

As of 4 pm on Tuesday, there were 335 patients in hospital.