Prince Hamzah Hospital increases beds for confirmed coronavirus cases

AMMAN — Prince Hamzah Hospital has taken action to increase its preparedness to accommodate cases of infection with COVID-19, director of the hospital Abdulrazaq Khashman announced on Monday.

Khashman affirmed that the 16 confirmed cases reported on Sunday were listed in stable condition as of Monday afternoon.

He added that the 16 cases have been sent to isolation wards designated for mild and moderate cases, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The isolation wards have been equipped with an additional 30 beds, increasing the total number of beds for mild and moderate cases to 50, he said, pointing out that a 12-bed isolation ward for critical cases — which can be increased to 22 beds — has been prepared.

The number of Jordanians who came from areas with large outbreaks of the virus, including Korea, China and Italy, and are quarantined at Al Bashir Hospital for 14 days has reached 39, Director of Al Bashir Hospital Mahmoud Zureikat said.

Zureikat noted that the 14-day quarantine is a preventive measure to limit the spread of the disease.

According to the director, the hospital offers coronavirus testing for the patients' contacts. Those who test positive will be transferred to isolation wards in Prince Hamzah Hospital, he said, adding that cases in quarantine are retested on a daily basis. 

The King Abdullah University Hospital in Irbid has designated and equipped two floors to receive suspected cases, according to hospital deputy director Basel Aubaidat. 

 Aubaidat said that nine suspected cases were admitted to the hospital on Sunday, noting that tests came back with two confirmed cases and five negative results, while the results of two cases are still pending.