Hospitals in Florence (except for Careggi), Prato and Pistoia are canceling or postponing all operations for the time being except for cancer patients or those affected by heart problems or stroke. This measure was taken to free up hospital beds for people diagnosed with Coronavirus. Out of 768 beds assigned to COVID-19 patients, only 48 are currently free; 50-60 patients who have been infected by the virus have been admitted every week for the past month. Doctors hope that these numbers will decrease with the recent designation of Tuscany as an ‘orange zone’ with increased restrictions.
In fact, on November 12, the number of infections dropped below 2,000 for the first time in weeks. 1932 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on that day, along with 37 deaths in the last 24 hours (as opposed to 2507 and 53 respectively on November 11). On the same day, 30 were admitted to hospitals in Tuscany with ICUs in the region hosting 10 new patients.
To read more in Italian, visit Florence’s La Repubblica news site.
