"All beds are empty, and all rooms are sterilized. There was no COVID-19 patient at the hospital during my visit on Monday," she said.
The Lapangan Tembak Hospital was designated as an emergency hospital for handling COVID-19 since July 11, 2021. Since its opening, nearly 200 beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients. The hospital was also equipped with 100 oxygen concentrators and treated patients with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms.
The hospital is used to reduce the burden on bed occupancy rate (BOR) at the Soewandhi Public Hospital that recently experienced a surge in COVID-19 patients.
Zero cases of COVID-19 at the Lapangan Tembak Hospital indicate that the number of Surabaya residents exposed to the disease has begun decreasing. In fact, no queue was seen at the public hospital.
"This is good news to increase our immunity as well. Other hospitals in Surabaya are expected to also record a decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients," Astuti stated.
Related news: Surabaya's Lapangan Tembak Hospital readies 100 oxygen concentrators
Despite an improvement in the virus handling efforts, she urged all residents to consistently adhere to strict health protocols in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.
"Stay vigilant and abide by health protocols, so that the number of COVID-19 cases does not increase again," she stated.
Astuti noted that the Surabaya City Government’s efforts to handle COVID-19 cases have gradually shown results that have consistently improved. Moreover, the government is intensively conducting tracing to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission.
"With zero patients here, hopefully, there will be no more patients at the Lapangan Tembak Hospital. I am optimistic that the number of cases will not spike again, and everyone will be in good health. Please continue to adhere to the health protocols," Astuti emphasized.
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Translator: Abdul H, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
