We look at the coronavirus hospitalization rate in Colombia including the number of coronavirus cases hospitalized in Colombia and number of cases in the ICU and ICU occupancy.
Many Medellin Guru readers have asked about the coronavirus hospitalization rate in Colombia and if it is increasing, as the number of coronavirus cases increases in Colombia.
Also, many readers asked about intensive care unit (ICU) room availability and if ICU occupancy in hospitals is increasing due to coronavirus.
The reality is that not many of the confirmed coronavirus cases in Colombia are currently in the ICU and Colombia is adding ICU capacity. But there are also unconfirmed coronavirus cases in the ICU and other patients in the ICU.
ICU occupancy in all of Colombia on October 27 was 57 percent and had increased to 65.5 percent by December 31 according to Infobae.
However, by mid-January, out of the four largest cities in Colombia (Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla) ICU occupancy was over 90 percent in three of these four cities.
Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe, the best hospital in Medellín, photo by SajoR
Coronavirus Hospitalization in Colombia: The Reality
On January 16, Colombia had 125,570 active coronavirus cases. The vast majority of active coronavirus cases in Colombia are isolated at home and treated at home.
A total of 17.1 percent of active cases were hospitalized in Colombia on January 16 according to INS out of the active cases that have not recovered or died.
On January 16, 18,860 active and confirmed coronavirus cases were in hospital rooms plus another 2,635 confirmed cases in the ICU for a total of 21,495 cases in the hospital.
The following are the counts of confirmed coronavirus cases hospitalized in Colombia by day including how many were in the ICU from January 5 to January 16:
- January 5 – 20,892 total hospitalized, including 2,144 in the ICU
- January 6 – 22,011 total hospitalized, including 2,125 in the ICU
- January 7 – 22,364 total hospitalized, including 2,100 in the ICU
- January 8 – 22,492 total hospitalized, including 2,103 in the ICU
- January 9 – 22,671 total hospitalized, including 2,099 in the ICU
- January 10 – 22,687 total hospitalized, including 2,117 in the ICU
- January 11 – 22,888 total hospitalized, including 2,122 in the ICU
- January 12 – 22,071 total hospitalized, including 2,121 in the ICU
- January 13 – 22,345 total hospitalized, including 2,135 in the ICU
- January 14 – 22,428 total hospitalized, including 2,215 in the ICU
- January 15 – 23,119 total hospitalized, including 2,606 in the ICU
- January 16 – 21,494 total hospitalized, including 2,635 in the ICU
So, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the ICU in Colombia hasn’t grown very much as the number of coronavirus cases grew dramatically over these 12 days. The coronavirus case count in Colombia increased by a total of 188,068 cases over these 12 days and less than 1 percent of these new cases over these 12 days ended up in the ICU.
However, keep in mind that unconfirmed but suspected coronavirus cases are in the ICU not included in the above numbers and there are other types of patients in the ICUs. So, ICU utilization has surpassed 80 percent in some cities in Colombia.
The following chart shows this graphically by comparing the number of coronavirus cases in Colombia with the number of ICU beds occupied by confirmed coronavirus cases over a period of 25 days from December 23 to January 16:
Number of coronavirus cases in Colombia compared to the number of ICU beds occupied by confirmed coronavirus cases, Source: Instituto Nacional de Salud, Jan 16
The bottom line is the number of ICU beds occupied by coronavirus cases remains a low percentage of cases. Less than 1 percent of total coronavirus cases are in the ICU, even as the number of coronavirus cases in Colombia increased over these 25 days by 346,268 cases. However, there are also many unconfirmed cases in the ICU.
ICU Occupancy and Capacity in Colombia
According to El Tiempo, on August 13, Colombia had a total of 9,483 ICU beds. This was up from 5,411 ICU beds in May as seen in the following graphic:
ICU occupancy and capacity in Colombia, source: El Tiempo, Instituto Nacional de Salud and Oxford Univeristy, 8/13
Three things are notable in the above graphic:
- In February 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic, Colombia had a total of 5,346 ICU beds, which were 90 percent occupied at the time with 4,810 patients.
- Colombia added 4,372 ICU beds from March 31 to August 13.
- On August 13, total ICU occupancy in all of Colombia including COVID-19 patients, suspected COVID-19 patients and other patients was 70.9 percent.
Colombia has been expanding ICU capacity and with plans to to add 2,600 ICUs with ventilators in July and another 800 ICUs in August.
By December 17, the total number of ICU beds in Colombia had increased to 11,296 ICUs according to El Tiempo. We haven’t seen an update but undoubtedly Colombia has added more ICUs since December 2020.
However, keep in mind that ICU capacity is not only used for confirmed coronavirus patients. There are also suspected coronavirus cases and other patients in the ICU, as seen in the above graphic.
What is normal ICU occupancy? Before coronavirus, ICUs in many parts of the world were typically occupied at well over 60 percent and Colombia was at 90 percent occupancy in February 2020.
According to the American Hospital Annual Survey in 2015, the U.S. had a 68 percent ICU occupancy and this was before coronavirus.
Recent ICU Occupancy in the Four Largest Cities in Colombia
Below we look at the recent ICU occupancy in the four largest cities in Colombia: Bogotá, Cali, Medellín and Barranquilla. ICU occupancy in the three of the four largest cities in Colombia (in Bogotá, Cali, Medellín) has increased to above 90 percent over the past few weeks.
Bogotá ICU Occupancy – 92.8 Percent
A news report in El Tiempo in April reported there were 1,555 ICU beds in Bogotá, which is the city with the most coronavirus cases in Colombia. But the number of ICU beds has increased since that time.
According to RCNRadio, on August 10, on July 28, Bogotá had 1,683 of its total ICU beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients, which were 89 percent occupied on August 10 with confirmed COVID-19 cases or suspected cases. This 89 percent was the same occupancy that was reported in the news on July 28.
However, by January 16, ICU occupancy in Bogotá was 92.8`percent according to Semana. Reportedly Bogotá has starting sending some coronavirus patients to Barranquilla and Cartagena where ICU occupancy is lower.
Medellín ICU Occupancy – 92.48 Percent
On July 30, according to El Tiempo, the department of Antioquia where Medellín is located declared a “red alert” due to ICU occupation reaching over 80 percent.
According to Minuto30, on January 16, ICU occupancy in the department of Antioquia, where Medellín is located, was 90.0 percent.
However, on January 16, ICU occupancy was 93.48 percent in Medellín according to the Antioquia Secretary of Health, as seen in the following graphic with ICU occupancy in municipalities in Antioquia.
CU occupancy in municipalities in Antioquia, source Antioquia Secretary of Health, Jan. 16
Antioquia has been taking several actions to reduce ICU occupancy as follows:
- Non-critical surgeries or procedures that may cause the patient to reach an ICU bed are now postponed in Antioquia.
- Antioquia is starting to send patients to other departments according to El Colombiano.
- Antioquia is adding ICU beds and the national government is sending 101 ventilators to Antioquia according to Minuto30.
In October 2020., according to El Colombiano, Antioquia planned to increase its count of ICU beds by adding 160 ICU beds over the following two weeks and add 30 to 40 additional ICUs to reach a goal of 1,400 ICU beds. However, by January 2021, Antioquia had 1.290 ICU beds so is shot 110 beds from the goal in October 2020.
Cali ICU Occupancy – 94 Percent
On August 14, ICU occupation in Cali was 83 percent according to El País. This was down for 93 percent ICU occupancy in Cali in mid July.
By September 23, ICU occupation in Cali had dropped to 60 percent according to El Pais. Also, in Cali they started to free up ICU beds reserved for coronavirus for other types of patients, as ICU occupancy continued to drop.
On January 16, ICU occupation in Cali was 94 percent according to ElPais.
Barranquilla ICU Occupancy – 62 Percent
In Barranquilla, an “orange alert” was previously declared in June due to ICU occupancy hitting 73 percent with curfews at night and on weekends.
However, due to a decrease in deaths from coronavirus in Barranquilla and an increase in recovered patients, according to CaracolTV, Barranquilla Mayor Jaime Pumarejo decided that the last day of a curfew in Barranquilla was on July 16.
Also, ICU occupancy in Barranquilla has dropped and by July 22, ICU occupancy in Barranquilla dropped to 65 percent according to El Tiempo.
However, according to Infobae, on January 16, ICU occupancy in Barranquilla had dropped to 62 percent. Reportedly due to low ICU occupancy, Barranquilla will start to receive coronavirus patients from Bogotá.
ICU Occupancy in Other Cities
Here are the ICU occupancies in two other cities in Colombia we found with occupancy that is over 80 percent :
- Ibagué – 92 percent on January 15 (according to LAFM)
- Cúcuta – 86 percent on January 13 but this was down from 93 percent on December 29 (according to RCN Radio)
These two cities have experienced a recent increase in coronavirus cases resulting in increased ICU occupancy. Some other cities we track had ICU occupancy of 80 percent or higher but have now have dropped below 80 percent.
Active Coronavirus Cases Were Dropping in Colombia
The number of active coronavirus cases in Colombia were dropping since August but have increased i nthe past few weeks, as see in the following chart:
Total active coronavirus cases by day in Colombia, source: Worldometers, Jan. 20
Where are the Coronavirus Cases Hospitalized in Colombia?
If you want to see hospitalization rates in other cities and towns in Colombia you can see this on the Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) website. There is a muncipio tab where you can find coronavirus information including hospitalization rates by municipality in Colombia.
Fundación Valle del Lili – ranked the best hospital in Cali and the best in Colombia, photo courtesy of Fundación Valle del Lili
Hospital Capacity in Colombia
Colombia reportedly has over 3,600 hospitals and clinics in the country. In addition, according to a study in 2017 by Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico, Colombia had 1.7 hospital beds per 1,000 inhabitants in Colombia.
This study implies that Colombia has about 85,000 hospital beds in Colombia with a total population of over 50 million in Colombia. But Colombia has added over 6,500 ICU beds in 2020.
On January 16, according to INS there were 21,494 confirmed coronavirus cases in the hospital including cases in the ICU. So, this was about 23.5 percent occupancy of hospital beds in Colombia by confirmed coronavirus cases on January 16.
The following chart compares the number of coronavirus cases in Colombia with the number of coronavirus cases in the hospital including ICU cases over a period of 25 days from December 23 to January 16:
Number of coronavirus cases in Colombia compared to the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the hospital: Source: Instituto Nacional de Salud, Jan. 16
Note that similar to the chart comparing cases to the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the ICU, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the hospital in Colombia remains a low percent of total cases. A total of 17.1 percent of the total confirmed and active coronavirus cases were hospitalized on January 16 according to INS.
This is likely due to many hospitalized coronavirus cases recovering and some dying, as new cases are admitted to the hospital. Also, the number of daily recoveries on some days has started to exceed the number of new daily cases.
However, keep in mind there are also unconfirmed but suspected coronavirus cases in the hospital rooms and ICUs.
The majority of coronavirus cases in Colombia are not considered serious and are treated at home. On January 16, 2021, 82.9 percent of active coronavirus cases in Colombia were being treated and isolated at home and were not in the hospital.
Colombia has 24 of the Best Hospitals in Latin America
Healthcare in Colombia
Colombia has 24 of the top 58 clinics and hospitals in Latin America, according to a study in late 2019 by América Economia. So, 41 percent of the best hospitals in Latin America are found in Colombia. Nine of these best hospitals in Latin America are located in Medellín and nine are located in Bogotá.
In 2018, Colombia had 23 of the top 58 hospitals. So, the count in 2019 increased to 24 of the top 58 clinics and hospitals in Latin America for 2019.
In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranks Colombia’s healthcare system as #22 out of 191 countries it ranked. And no other countries in Latin America were ranked higher than Colombia. So, according to WHO, Colombia has the best healthcare system in Latin America.
Also, Colombia’s healthcare system is ranked higher than many wealthier countries like the United States (#37), Germany (#25), Canada (#30) and Australia (#32).
In Colombia, it is possible to have access to world-class healthcare at a fraction of the cost compared to the healthcare costs in North America or Europe. Furthermore, the costs for healthcare in Colombia can be significantly lower than the costs found in the U.S.
Due to having the best healthcare system in Latin America, Colombia is probably better positioned than many other countries in Latin America to handle coronavirus.
Health Insurance in Colombia
Health insurance is relatively inexpensive in Colombia and will cover you if you happen to catch COVID-19.
One of the reasons that Colombia has such a highly rated healthcare system is due to a new constitution that Colombia drafted in 1991 that made access to healthcare a basic human right to all citizens of Colombia, as well as foreign residents of Colombia.
There are three types of health insurance available in Colombia:
- EPS – Entidadas Promotoras de Salud– this is the public health insurance that is mandatory for everybody who is a resident of Colombia. The monthly premium is calculated as 12.5 percent of the monthly gross income that you declare to the EPS.
- Prepagada – this is private healthcare insurance in Colombia. The monthly premium for Prepagada varies depending on your age, the plan you choose and any pre-existing conditions.
- SISBEN – this is a free government subsidized healthcare system, which is only for very poor or homeless Colombians.
Medellin Guru has partnered with an insurance broker to offer health insurance, travel insurance and other insurance products like life insurance, homeowners insurance and auto insurance to foreigners and Colombians.
We partnered with Angela Berrio, who is a bilingual insurance broker who speaks English and Spanish. And she has many foreigner clients.
Use the Medellin Guru Insurance Service
Angela’s company offers insurance services to all foreigners and Colombians who need assistance in their process of finding the best insurance protection while living in Colombia. With over ten years of experience, they design the plan that best fits your needs allowing you to enjoy your life abroad.
Computer generated image of COVID-19, photo by Felipe Esquivel Reed
Medellin Guru’s Coronavirus Series
Medellin Guru has a series of articles about the coronavirus pandemic and the impacts in Colombia: Also, these articles are being kept up-to-date, as this is a fast-moving topic:
- PCR Test: How to Get a COVID-19 Test in Medellín
- Nightly Curfews in January in Medellin and Antioquia Start on January 6
- Nightly Curfew in Medellín For Christmas and New Year’s Holidays
- Colombia is Buying 10 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine from Pfizer
- Does Colombia Require a COVID-19 Test for International Travelers?
- 8 Reasons Why Colombia is Unlikely to Return to a Quarantine
- Coronavirus Cases Increase in Medellín: What Happens Next?
- New Normal in Medellín: Medellín is Returning to Normal
- Will the Quarantine Return to Colombia? What if Cases Increase?
- New Normal in Medellín: Medellín is Returning to Normal
- Colombia’s Quarantine Ends on September 1: New Phase Starts
- Tourism Impact of Coronavirus: Colombia Starts to Reactivate Tourism
- Economy Impacts in Colombia Due to Extended Quarantine
- Epicenter of Coronavirus in Colombia: Bogotá is the Epicenter
- Medellín Plans the Total Reopening of Economic Activities in the City
- When Will the Quarantine End in Colombia? On September 1?
- Humanitarian Flights from Colombia to the U.S. and Other Countries
- Beware of Fake News in Colombia About Coronavirus and Quarantines
- Reopening Gymnasiums, Churches and Movie Theaters in Colombia
- Reopening Amusement Parks, Zoos and Nature Reserves in Colombia
- Medellín Starts Free COVID-19 Tests on the Medellín Metro
- New COVID-19 Preventive Measures in Medellín to Contain the Pandemic
- Penalties for Violating the Quarantine in Medellín are Stiff
- COVID-19 Orange Alert in Bogotá: New Lockdowns in Bogotá
- Medellín Starts to Lift the Quarantine: Enters Smart Isolation Phase
- Colombia Started to Lift the Quarantine – What Does this Mean?
- Coronavirus: When Will the Quarantine Be Lifted in Colombia?
- Colombia Starts to Lift the Quarantine in COVID-19 Free Areas
- Colombia Quarantine: Nationwide Quarantine Extended to September 1
- Coronavirus in Colombia: Myth vs Reality – Current Status
- Coronavirus Hospitalization in Colombia: Myth vs Reality
- Are Medellín and Antioquia Winning the Coronavirus Battle?
- 23 Cities with a Major Increase in Coronavirus Cases in Colombia
- Colombia Coronavirus Death Rate: What are the Chances of Dying?
- Coronavirus: When Will Things Return to Normal in Colombia?
- COVID-19 Testing in Colombia: Realty About Coronavirus Testing
- Life as an Expat: During Medellín’s Coronavirus Quarantine
- Colombian Visa Process Changes: Due to Quarantine and Coronavirus
- Medellín Coronavirus Closures – What is Closed in Medellín?
- Pico y Cedula: A Restriction for Grocery Shopping in the Aburrá Valley During the Quarantine
- Pico y Cedula in Colombia: Which is Strictest Out of 5 Largest Cities?
- Medellín Quarantine Starts on March 20 for Four Days
The Bottom Line: Coronavirus Hospitalization in Colombia: Myth vs Reality
The bottom line is that Colombia is treating most coronavirus cases in the country at home. On January 16, 2021, only 17.1 percent of active and confirmed coronavirus cases in Colombia were in the hospital or ICU and 82.9 percent were being treated and isolated at home.
However, by mid-January, three of the four largest cities (Bogotá, Medellín and Cali) ICU occupancy was over 90 percent.
On January 16, about 23.5 percent of hospital beds in Colombia were occupied by confirmed coronavirus patients based on the INS report of 21,494 total confirmed cases in the hospital (either hospital room or ICU).
A big concern is that a surge in coronavirus cases would result in not having enough ventilators and ICU beds in Colombia. But, Colombia has been adding ICU capacity each month. Another concern is for some of the smaller cities and towns, which have a much more limited capacity of ICU beds.
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Editors note: updated on November 24, 2020 with data for coronavirus hospitalization data for Colombia on November 23.
Editors note: updated on December 2, 2020 with data for coronavirus hospitalization data for Colombia on November 30.
Editors note: updated on December 8, 2020 with data for coronavirus hospitalization data for Colombia on December 7.
Editors note: updated on December 16, 2020 with data for coronavirus hospitalization data for Colombia on December 14.
Editors note: updated on December 25, 2020 with data for coronavirus hospitalization data for Colombia on December 24.
Editors note: updated on January 2, 2021 with data for coronavirus hospitalization data for Colombia on January 1.
Editors note: updated on January 17, 2021 with data for coronavirus hospitalization data for Colombia on January 16.
Hi Jeff,
Could you use your contacts and find out what/when is happening in the transportation field, particularly air-lines/airports, buses,domestic and foreign flights.
We have been here, in Santa Marta, since November, due to return to Canada on March 31, it looks like our first flight will now be in June.
Much as we love Colombia and Santa Marta we need to see to affairs in Canada and our families.
This is a great service you do…..the best I’ve seen in our travels.
Thank you
Bill
Hi Bill, sure we will see what what we can find out. So far it appears no air transportation until at least the end of August.
Yesterday, President Duque Tweeted “no airline is authorized to sell tickets after May 11 in the country. National and international flights are still suspended. Changes to these measures will be reported to the country in a timely manner.” https://twitter.com/infopresidencia/status/1256354209978441728
Interesting article and nice graphs comparing number of people in the ICU and hospital compared to the increasing cases.
You have the coronavirus occupancy for Bogota, wondering if you could add ICU occupancy for other cities.
Hi Peter, thanks. I found the ICU capacity in some cities but not enough of the big cities. I will do some more research to see if I can find out and add to the article.
Thanks for clearing this up. I read on a medellin group on fb hospitals were overcrowded in early march and there is icu shortage.
The cases rising 5%-ish per day but it not reflected in hospitalizations. But I am guessing hospitalization, ICU and death are lagging indicators. As long as the cases are increasing rapidly like they are – Colombia will not escape those 3 outcomes until they bring down the infection rate.
Also, don’t forget to factor in the recovery rate, which reportedly averages 2 weeks to recover, which will result in people leaving the hospital. In addition, don’t forget to factor in the death rate, another reason that frees up ICU rooms. Both of those are lagging indicators as well.
Great report. This again shows the absolute catastrophic policy towards the pandemic. The main factor that should govern quarantine “toughness” is by the bottlenecks of hospitalization and ICUs. Since in all cities, including Bogota, cases related to coronavirus are no more than a statistical error, the harsh quarantine is an absolute disaster, for two reasons: (1) the economical collapse, which will cause far more deaths and suffering in the long run, and (2) epidemiological considering, by which, with no vaccine in neat future, you _must_ let the virus circulate as much as possible while causing minimal damage (which is to say, not collapsing the healthcare system). Such a low foot print on hospitals shows a total failure of policy. Colombia is demographically a young country, which partially accounts for low number of hospitalizations and deaths, and also poorer than Europe, all of which which allows, and in fact, requires, the government to take much more risks with respect to policy. Mandatory masks, no big social gatherings should be more the enough.
Hi Jeff, you are reporting “On June 22, Colombia had 39,879 active coronavirus cases,,,” JHU is reporting 73760 on 6/24/2020 https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html. I’m not trying to troll here but that’s a big difference. What source are you using for your infected stats and I wonder why there such a large delta? Your table seems to be updated…maybe this is a typo. Keep up the great work and thanks.
It is not a typo, the John Hopkins number is NOT active cases, it is confirmed cases.
Our source is Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) in Colombia – http://www.ins.gov.co/Noticias/Paginas/Coronavirus.aspx. This is the official source for Colombia
Go to http://www.ins.gov.co/Noticias/Paginas/Coronavirus.aspx, there is a pie chart on the page “Distribución por atención de confirmados” with an Activos dropdown that shows 40,589 active cases for Colombia yesterday. We have this in our daily update today – https://medellinguru.com/coronavirus-in-colombia/
The John Hopkins number of 73,760 is not even accurate for total confirmed cases for Colombia, Colombia had 73,572 total confirmed cases as of yesterday. See our update for today – https://medellinguru.com/coronavirus-in-colombia/
I have found that John Hopkins has inaccurate information for several countries, so I recommend instead using – https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
In Australia, the median time from onset of illness to first hospitalisation was 7 days, and to first ICU admission was 9 days. Among adults. So there is a lag. Let’s hope Colombia’s health system can cope with all the new positive cases.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Documents/covid-19-surveillance-report-20200606.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwidxI6gqsvqAhVGxTgGHeFNBKEQFjARegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw3PojpF24MJCboTQ_K0Fbhq&cshid=1594681557009
Nice to see Colombia is adding ICUs. I guess getting to 80 percent occupancy makes them take action.
Nice to see that ICU occupancy is dropping in Colombia
Thanks for the information. I recognize some of the sources for your graphs and statistics, but not others. For example, you have a partial citation for “Oxford”. Could you kindly include full primary source citations and web links for your data so readers can follow up and keep track of the developing picture. Well written and informative. Many thanks.
Thanks for the update, nice to see that ICU occupancy in Antioquia is dropping and that in Bogotá it is less than 55%.
According to this article Medellin ICU is at 85% capacity.
“In the city of Medellin, according to the Ministry’s database, the occupation of the ICU reached 85%. There are 120 beds available from the city’s 847. In occupied beds there are 352 beds occupied by suspected or confirmed covid cases and 375 for non-covid cases.”
https://www.eluniversal.com.co/colombia/sigue-en-aumento-ocupacion-de-camas-uci-en-colombia-GC3994228
Medellín was at 86.66 percent ICU occupancy yesterday according to the Antioquia government – see: https://dssa.gov.co/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=category&task=category&id=127&Itemid=352. We added a graphic to the article with the ICU occupancy in municipalities in Antioquia.