COVID-19: Isolation pods created in Coahuila for Mexican ICU patients

Coahuila’s Health Ministry

is creating isolation pods in case they need to move COVID-19 patients to hospitals during the “critical care” period so that nurses’ assistants, paramedics, nurses, ambulance drivers, relatives of the patient and ER doctors will not be infected by the coronavirus .

Erick Varela Cortés

, deputy minister of Medical Emergency Care , highlighted the prototype of this pod shown during the presentation of the COVID-19 Attention Plan .

Upon knowing about it, governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme Solís requested them to create 20 pods that are ready and will be distributed in the eight health jurisdictions of the state.

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He stressed that these units, whose elaboration is very cheap , are part of the actions included in the State Plan for COVID-19 Prevention and Control .

Varela Cortés explained that the pods that will be used during the “ critical care” period have an objective, “They are another barrier so that the virus is not in contact with people that accompany the patient in the ambulance.”

Moreover, the staff will always wear personal protection gear , ambulances will previously receive a plastic coating , and the pods can be used several times because its material would be cleaned with chlorine , chemicals , and all that is needed to disinfect them.

Each one of the 20 pods will be delivered to the jurisdictions , clinics , and hospitals with five transfer kits that consist of a mat, pipes, plastic, hermetic caps, and insulating tape.

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For security purposes, he stressed, the kit is thrown away and when the pod is reused, new components are used.

Dr. Varela Cortés trusts that people will attend the recommendations made to take care of themselves so as to halt the coronavirus pandemic .

He considered that a minimum percentage of the population will need to used these intensive care units .

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The four areas of Intensive Care will be distributed among the four big hospitals in Coahuila located in Saltillo , Torreón , Monclova , and Piedras Negras , that have been reconverted for the attention of COVID-19 patients.

“We are getting ready, hoping there is no need to use the pods, but should they be required, they will be available and ready for sage transfers to hospitals.”

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