At present, the Kronoberg and Kalmar counties have a total of 20 intensive care sites - eight in Kronoberg and twelve in Kalmar. However, this situation can change quickly depending on how the spread of the covid-19 corona virus develops.

At the same time, it is not uncommon for the number of places to vary. The number of intensive care units is affected by such things as staffing and how resource intensive the hospitalized patients are.

Challenge to secure staff

- We have twelve intensive care sites that are continuously staffed. This is our usual capacity, says Region Kalmar County Health and Medical Director Johan Rosenqvist.

If more corona-infected patients are in need of intensive care than there are places for, how do you do?

- We have looked at different scenarios. This may mean that we have to change other activities to be able to care for all possible patients. The challenge will not be access to premises and equipment. It will be to ensure access to staff with the right skills.

The Kronoberg Region declined to comment on the issue of how they would handle more corona-infected patients in need of intensive care than they have places to. At present, neither Kronoberg nor Kalmar has any coronary infected patient who is in need of intensive care.

Lack of medical supplies

According to a national situation, most of Sweden's regions have reported a lack or risk of lack of different types of health care materials. This applies to personal protective equipment and sampling materials. Kronoberg and Kalmar are no exceptions.

- There is a lack of material at the moment, both here and nationally. The Kronoberg Region has contact with the National Board of Health and Welfare, which acts nationally and sees how they can support the delivery of medical supplies, says Region Kronoberg's security strategist Stefan Silvander Ahlrik.

Last week, the Public Health Authority issued new directives around which to test for the corona virus. The authority recommends that the region should now only test seriously ill patients with severe symptoms, such as people with breathing difficulties.

According to the Public Health Authority, personnel in the care who have had a cold or flu symptom should also be tested. Similarly, people who have been in affected areas and who just feel a little scruffy should no longer be tested for the new infection, according to the Public Health Authority.

"Only patients with acute respiratory tract infection who are in need of hospital care, who have come home from visits abroad for the past two weeks or have been in contact with someone infected by covid-19, are now being tested," Region Kronoberg wrote in a press release on Friday at the same time that the focus is on not getting infections in hospitals or in care rooms.

"We try to be as restrictive as possible and use the health care material based on the latest recommendations from the Public Health Authority," says Stefan Silvander Ahlrik, who also tells us that the region has changed the procedures for how they handle handshake due to theft.