Contingency Plan for the Intensive Care Services for the COVID-19 pandemic

Sedes, P. Rascado; Sanz, M.Á. Ballesteros; Saera, M. A. Bodí; RodríguezRey, L. F. Carrasco; Ortega, Á. Castellanos; González, M. Catalán; López, C. de Haro; Santos, E. Díaz; Barcena, A. Escriba; Mera, M. J. Frade; Cano, J. C. Igeño; Delgado, M. C. Martín; Estalella, G. Martínez; Raimondi, N.; Gas, O. Roca i; Oviedo, A. Rodríguez; Pío, E. Romero San; Álvarez, J. Trenado; Raurell, M.; Ferrer Roca, Ricard; Castellanos Ortega, Álvaro; Trenado Álvarez, Josep; Tesorero, Virginia Fraile Gutiérrez; Tejedor, Alberto Hernández; Gutiérrez, Manuel Herrera; Ramírez Galleymore, Paula; Sanz, M. Ángeles Ballesteros; Sedes, Pedro Rascado; de la Oliva Calvo, Leire López; Delgado, María Cruz Martín; Torredá, Marta Raurell; Barrio Linares, Miriam del; García, Marta Romero; García, María Teresa Ruiz; Hito, María Pilar Delgado; Mondéjar, Juan José Rodríguez; Arroyo, Carmen Moreno; Arribas, Alicia San José; Mera, María Jesús Frade

Abstract In January 2020, the Chinese authorities identified a new virus of the Coronaviridae family as the cause of several cases of pneumonia of unknown aetiology. The outbreak was initially confined to Wuhan City, but then spread outside Chinese borders. On 31 January 2020, the first case was declared in Spain. On 11 March 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. On 16 March 2020, there were 139 countries affected. In this situation, the Scientific Societies SEMICYUC and SEEIUC, have decided to draw up this Contingency Plan to guide the response of the Intensive Care Services. The objectives of this plan are to estimate the magnitude of the problem and identify the necessary human and material resources. This is to provide the Spanish Intensive Medicine Services with a tool to programme optimal response strategies.