The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) provincial government has readied nearly four thousand beds for COVID-19 patients as a precautionary measure against a spike in COVID-19 cases due to the spread of Omicron in the province.

Head of the NTB Health Office Lalu Hamzi Fikri stated here on Tuesday that his office had urged all hospitals in the province to increase the number of beds as a precautionary measure against the increasing number of cases of COVID-19.

“Currently, we have 1,500 beds available. However, due to the surge in cases, we need to increase our bed capacity to two thousand and even up to four thousand. Inshallah (if God wills), all of our hospitals are ready for that,” Fikri stated during the coordination meeting on the development of COVID-19 at the NTB Governor’s Office.

NTB recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases in all regions in the past week. Nevertheless, none of the patients needed intensive care unit (ICU) treatment, he noted.

“There is an increase in daily cases, with most being due to comorbidities and have not been vaccinated,” Fikri revealed.

Despite the increase in cases, the bed occupancy rate (BOR) at hospitals in the province remains under control, he affirmed.

However, he continues to urge to increase the number of patient beds as a precautionary measure against the Omicron variant that spreads faster than the Delta variant.

The Health Office head encouraged COVID-19 patients experiencing mild symptoms to self-isolate at home with adequate monitoring and medicines, as hospital treatment is prioritized for patients with severe symptoms.

He also called for expediting COVID-19 vaccinations to prevent a surge in cases, especially as the province will become the host of the MotoGP event in March.

In addition, he urged the community to always comply with health protocols, as the end of the pandemic is still unpredictable.

“Health protocols must not be ignored, so that we do not lose to the pandemic,” he stressed.

Source: Antara News