Hospital beds roll in to Siglo XXI exhibit hall, just in case

Beds have begun rolling in to the Siglo XXI convention center in case hospitals in Merida are overwhelmed. Photo: Coutesy

Merida, Yucatan — The Siglo XXI convention center, one of many facilities promised as a backup for overwhelmed hospitals, is turning an exhibit hall into a makeshift medical center.

If the city’s few hospitals that treat coronavirus reach capacity, the compound will have 375 beds, including 175 equipped with oxygen tanks, at the ready. Health personnel have been assigned to Siglo XXI if it begins to receive patients.

The governor confirmed that the general hospital in Valladolid is also being expanded, with 100 beds in a temporary facility for patients who are not seriously ill.

More doctors, intensive care specialists, internists, emergency specialists and anesthesiologists are being hired to attend patients in Yucatan, said Vila Dosal.

“We are also increasing the capacity of our laboratories to perform up to 350 tests daily as part of our coronavirus surveillance system so that we are one of the states with the best analysis and information to continue taking timely measures in this contingency,” said the governor.

Read More