Alarming is the situation that is currently being experienced in Tijuana with COVID-19, since Clinic 1 of the IMSS and the General Hospital no longer have room for new patients with this virus.

We spoke with one of the elements of Clinic 1, Daniel Amaya, a professional nurse and member of the Mexican Navy, who told us that the situation is extremely serious there.

"If a patient arrives with Covid, they no longer receive them, they give them dexamethasone (anticoagulant), amoxicillin (antibiotic) and Salbutamol (inhaler to decompress the lungs, nebulizer), and that's it. They don't take care of them there. The medication is given to them at the pharmacy so they can take it home and recover there, and if they need oxygen, they can get it themselves if they have the chance".

Amaya said he was concerned about the rapid increase in cases at the hospital. "Unfortunately, people still don't understand," he said, regarding the use of the mask and mobility.

During the conversation he mentioned that Clinic 1 no longer has beds available.

A couple of days ago, according to Red Cross paramedics attending the 911 service, patients arriving at the hospital were placed in chairs, completely isolated, waiting for a bed to be cleared. "At that point they no longer see their family members, until they leave the hospital, one way or another," said Rodrigo, who preferred to omit his last name.

"When they arrive at the hospital there are 5 stages of the illness, from the least to the most severe. The staff divides them up and gives them the attention they can get sitting there, with oxygen and with the medications they have on hand, they can stay there for three or even four days until they get a bed, but if they evaluate and see that someone can be treated at home privately and it is not so serious, they do not receive them," said Rodrigo, who works the early shift.

Returning to the conversation with Daniel Amaya, he told us that the toughest situation in relation to COVID-19 for the entity is coming next January. "We have weekly meetings with the nurses, and that's what we've been told. They are also about to open another floor in Clinic 1 and hire more doctors and nurses".

This is what is happening at the General Hospital in Tijuana, where recently, the brother of the director of Issstecali in Baja California, Jose Moreno Grijalva, died in the parking lot waiting to be treated against COVID-19 but was not received, because the hospital was overcrowded.

Mariela, a nurse at the General Hospital, commented that everything possible is being done and that soon they will make more spaces available, since there are no more beds for care and medical personnel are scarce. Unfortunately, the new staff is underpaid and the administrative work is taking much longer than usual.

The reality looks the same for private hospitals in Tijuana such as Centro Medico Florence, Hospital del Prado, Hospital Excel and Hospital Ángeles, which have very little or no space. It can cost up to 1 million pesos to admit a patient with COVID-19.

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