COVID-19 in Turkey: ‘Bed occupancy rate is rising in Ankara’

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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The Health and Social Service Laborers' Union (SES) Ankara Branch has released a written statement about the latest situation in the capital city amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The statement has raised concerns that the number of cases in Ankara has increased from 2 thousands to 7 thousands since March 1, when "gradual" or "controlled normalization" entered into effect.

'We have nearly 10 thousand active patients'

Underlining that the number of cases in the capital city has increased by 171 percent in a month, the SES Ankara Branch has briefly stated:

"The increase in the last month has been 171 percent. The increase in the number of cases in a week has increased from 20 percents to 60 percents in this one-month period. This rate of increase in the number of cases is making us more concerned.

"According to the figures of the Ministry, there are nearly 10 thousand active patients in our province. Taking the number of cases and close contacts into account, it brings about a serious risk in our province.

'Death rate twice the rate in December'

"Due to the applications to hospitals because of coronavirus, the normal bed occupancy rate is between 58 - 62 percent while the intensive care bed occupancy rate is between 68 - 72 percent.

"The number of our deceased patients has reached twice the average number of deaths in December, when the pandemic peaked.

"The workload of contact tracing (filiation) has been increasing due to the increasing number of cases and a period when serious problems will reemerge in hospitals is approaching.

"We, the laborers of health and social services, fight the exploitation of labor, which led to our deaths, not against the pandemic; we are burning out, we are outraged." (RT/SD)