Nearly 500 patients now hospitalized with Covid-19; About 10,000 infections since Saturday
The number of patients being treated for Covid-19 rose by 15 percent in a week to 499 on Friday. That was the highest total reported by patient coordination service LCPS in 24 days.
Just 28 of the patients were in intensive care units, down from 31 a week ago. The other 471 patients were in regular care wards, an increase of 68.
An average of 69 patients with the disease entered hospitals each of the past seven days. That was ten more than the previous week-long period. Out of the current total, the number of people sent directly to intensive care held at four.
The LCPS counts all patients with Covid-19 in their total regardless if they are being treated for serious symptoms of the disease. The service monitors hospital and regional healthcare crowding issues. Any admitted patient with Covid-19 drains hospital resources because of the need to keep them isolated from others.
Newswire ANP noted that 9,889 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus between from last Saturday up through Friday. That was the highest recorded weekly total in a month, and showed an increase of about 15 percent.
The basic reproduction value also rose to 1.10, indicating that 100 people contagious with the virus on 9 September likely infected 110 others. They then passed the virus on to 121 people, who then infected another 133 individuals.
A basic reproduction value above 1.00 suggests that the number of infections will continue to rise.
