The daily COVID-19 update released today by the National Public Health Organisation (EODY) confirmed 6,801 new infections and 67 deaths in the last 24 hours, as well as a hike in the number of intubated patients, which for the first time broke the 500 mark.
The strong surge and intensity of cases in the raging epidemic has forced a number of hospitals to treat intubated patients outside of ICU.
At a weekly health ministry briefing today, Alternate Health Minister Mina Gaga said that in at least one case a hospital used as much oxygen as would normally last for one or two weeks in the past.
The newly confirmed infections (a daily increase of 0.8 percent) brings the total number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic to 815,068 (50.7 percent men).
Of the infections confirmed over the last week, 131 are considered to be linked to travel abroad and 2.716 have been traced to an already confirmed case.
The 67 deaths over the last 24 hours (95 percent patients with an underlying medical condition and/or age 70 or older) bring the death toll to 16,560.
Rise in number of intubations
The number of intubated patients was 503 (62.4 percent men) with a median age of 65-years-old. Of these, 82.7 percent have an underlying medical condition and/or are age 70 or older,
Of intubated patients, 82.7 percent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, and only 17.3 percent are fully vaccinated.
Since the start of the pandemic, 3,387 patients have been discharged from hospital ICUs.
In the last 24 hours, there have been 431 hospital admissions of COVID-19 patients (a daily increase of 0.47 percent). The average number of daily admissions over the last seven days is 395 patients.
The median age of individuals with newly confirmed infections is 38-years-old, while the median age of patients who have died is 78-years-old.
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