Bogotá D.C., September 1, 2021. The availability of beds in Intensive Care Units (ICU) during the Covid-19 contingency has been a key indicator of the most critical moments of the pandemic.

The country, at the beginning of the pandemic, had 5,346 beds for ICU care and, after the measures adopted and the strategy that was carried out, there were up to 13,000 ICU beds available at the moments of greatest demand.

Current figures show that, increasingly, the country has been having greater accessibility of this key resource of the health system, while the peak of the pandemic decreases and the numbers of the vaccinated population increase.

According to María Belén Jaimes, director in charge of Epidemiology and Demography of the Ministry of Health, as of August 30, the country has had a 46% ICU bed availability.

In other words, of the 11,818 ICU beds throughout the national territory, 54% of them is occupied. Of these, only 1,084 correspond to confirmed Covid-19 cases; 291 to suspected cases; 4,959 to other diseases and a remaining 5,484 are available.

Regarding the cases of Covid-19 hospitalization, it can be observed that the curve has been concentrated in the 40–55-year age groups. This is unlike the beginning of the year, which was mostly occupied by the population over 60 years of age. Furthermore, 79% of people hospitalized in the ICU have not received their vaccinations.

In this regard, Jaimes reiterated the importance of these groups going to vaccination sites, since the data collected by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection is showing that immunization is safe and effective in all age groups, especially in susceptible groups, such as those over 50 and people with comorbidities.

"We invite the people that need to be vaccinated to go to the authorized points; it is the best way to prevent serious diseases," concluded Jaimes, who reiterated that the process in the country is free, and that people only need to present their ID document.