Senator Christopher “Bong” Go (File photo)
MANILA – Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Sunday appealed to concerned agencies, with the help of the private sector, to expedite the construction and expansion of more modular facilities and tents with Covid-19 isolation and intensive care unit (ICU) beds to cater particularly those with severe conditions.
“I laud the continuing efforts of the government to provide more isolation facilities for people with mild and moderate Covid-19 cases; however, the need for more facilities that can handle severe and critical conditions must also be considered,” Go, chair of the Senate committee on health, said in a statement.
He urged the government to identify locations where modular facilities and tents equipped with ICU beds can be transformed into temporary health facilities to accommodate severe Covid-19 cases.
“We need to double our efforts in order to reduce further the waiting time for patients needing urgent treatment or admission, provide faster medical transport and patient pick-up, and facilitate much improved use of critical care services in our health facilities,” he said.
On Saturday, health authorities logged 12,576 new infections, jacking up the country’s active Covid-19 cases to 165,715.
The Department of Health also reported 599 new recoveries and 103 new fatalities, increasing the overall recoveries cases to 604,905 and death toll to 13,423.
Of the active cases, the DOH said 96.5 percent have mild symptoms, 2.2 percent are asymptomatic, 0.3 are moderate, 0.5 percent in critical condition, and 0.5 percent are severe.
“Nakakaawa po ‘yung mga kababayan nating naghihingalo na tapos wala pang mahanap na ospital. Buhay po ang nakasalalay sa bawat minutong pag-aantay makakuha lang ng ospital, kama, at doktor para maalagaan sila (It is a pity that our fellow countrymen are dying and no hospital can be found. Life depends on every minute of waiting just to get a hospital, a bed, and a doctor to take care of them),” Go said.
He called on government officials to do their best to save more people amid the pandemic that has already infected 129.9 million people and claimed 2.83 million lives worldwide.
Go stressed the need to augment the country’s medical front-liners “particularly in critical areas where a significant number of them have been overburdened or, worse, also infected with Covid-19.”
“I laud the bayanihan efforts of nurses in the Visayas who expressed willingness to be deployed to the ‘NCR Plus’ areas. Patunay lamang po ito na sa kabila ng pandemya, malakas pa rin ang diwa ng bayanihan sa bansa (This is just a proof that amid pandemic, the spirit of communal unity is strong),” he said.
He appealed to health workers in other parts of the country with lower Covid-19 cases to also be ready to extend help in critical areas.
“In these trying times, we need a whole-of-nation approach to fully overcome this pandemic,” he said. “Bawat isa sa atin ay may tungkulin sa kapwa, sa ating komunidad, at sa ating bayan. Lahat tayo ay dapat maging bahagi ng solusyon. Laging tandaan na ang ating kooperasyon, bayanihan, at malasakit sa kapwa ay makapagliligtas ng buhay ng kapwa nating Pilipino! (Each one of us has responsibility to our neighbor, our community and our nation. All of us should be part of the solution. Remember that with our cooperation, bayanihan, and compassion to others will save lives of our fellow Filipinos).” (PNA)
