Table 2.

Differences in the setup of an intermediate Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) between T1 and T2 according to the admission date (before and after March 29, 2020)

Intermediate RICU at T1	Intermediate RICU at T2
Old structural allocation and organization of the intermediate RICU:	New structural allocation and organization of the intermediate RICU:
Allocation in a building not still completely dedicated to COVID-19 patients and far from other different COVID-19 wards	Reallocation to a new building exclusively devoted to COVID-19 patients
No easy connection with ICU	Easy and quick connection with ICU
Routes for step up and step down not safe	Safe routes for step up and step down
Old human resource organization of the intermediate RICU:	New human resource organization of the intermediate RICU:
Pneumologists coming from general respiratory disease wards	Multidisciplinary staff with pneumologists expert of lung failure, physiotherapists, and intensivists
Reduced number of doctors and nurses	Increased number of doctors and nurses
Any knowledge of the COVID-19 physiopathology and correct clinical-therapeutic approach	Depth and gained experiences in real life on COVID-19 physiopathology and clinical-therapeutic approaches

ICU intensive care unit