The government has so far prepared 349 intensive care unit (ICU) beds at hospitals in Dhaka and other districts in order to treat Covid-19 patients.
Prof Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), made the announcement on Friday.
She also said 102 dialysis units had been prepared for treating Covid-19 patients who have kidney-related problems.
Earlier in April, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had said that the government would set up ICUs in all districts of the country.
So far, the government has dedicated a total of 9,638 isolation beds across Bangladesh – 3,944 in Dhaka hospitals, and 5,694 in the rest of the country.
How many patients need ICUs?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), data from China suggests that 15%–20% of Covid-19 cases require hospitalization, with around 15% of cases presenting severe symptoms, and 5% requiring intensive care.
Estimates from China also suggest that patients in ICUs require approximately 13 days of respiratory support, while data from Italy show that 10-25% of patients will require ventilation, and some patients will need ventilation for several weeks, WHO says.
It has also emphasized that critical interventions, such as ICU beds and mechanical ventilators, must be made available to healthcare workers and others supporting the response in terms of services and infrastructure, whose training makes them indispensable.