Portimão’s field hospital is being “deactivated” once again now that its last patient – an 84-year-old woman – has been discharged.
The announcement came on the same day that Portugal’s Covid numbers took a dramatic dive (click here), with the number of cases dropping to 1,303.
Footage of the moment the field hospital’s last patient was released was captured live by RTP, which also showed the field hospital’s staff in an emotional embrace after seeing the octogenarian off.
“This is a sign of the teamwork we built and of the efforts and the restless hours that we spent caring for these people and allowing them to return home safely and healthy,” said Ana Castro, president of the Algarve University Hospital Board’s administration board.
Since it (re)opened on January 10, the field hospital welcomed 170 patients, most of who were transferred from hospitals outside of the Algarve (105), Castro said.
She added that 148 of the patients were discharged (148), while the others were transferred to the care of other hospitals.
Now that the situation appears to be under control once again, the hospital – which features 100 beds spread across individual rooms (30 beds), shared rooms (64 beds) and a critical care unit (six beds) –will be ‘deactivated’.
“We are no longer at 80% of our capacity for Covid-19 patients at regional hospitals, meaning we are no longer in phase 4 of our contingency plan,” Castro said, justifying the decision to close the hospital for now.
However, it may reopen if the situation deteriorates once again.
