(File photo)
MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) is seeing an increase in the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) hospital admissions in six Metro Manila local government units (LGUs).
In a media briefing Thursday, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said closely monitored are the cities of Pasig, Muntinlupa, Malabon, Makati, Navotas, and Caloocan.
She noted that 13 out of the 17 areas in Metro Manila are under moderate risk classification for Covid-19.
“Ang areas na 'di pa ‘moderate’ (The areas that are not yet ‘moderate’) would be Malabon, Navotas, Caloocan, and Valenzuela, but the rest would be in moderate risk case classification,” she said.
While cases are low in Malabon, Navotas, and Caloocan, the DOH has started monitoring their healthcare utilization because these areas have few hospital beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients.
This causes their healthcare utilization rates to rise despite few admissions.
The DOH has coordinated with the Metro Manila Center for Health Development, LGUs, and the concerned hospitals about the issue.
Vergeire said most of the Covid-19 patients admitted in the hospitals are healthcare workers with comorbidities.
“Pero usually asymptomatic at mild, dahil gusto nila bantayan, so, binigyan natin sila ng option kung saan nila pwede ilipat para hindi na makadagdag doon sa naka-admit sa ospital at makapag-accommodate pa tayo ng mas maraming pasyente (These are usually asymptomatic and mild (cases), they want to be monitored, so, we give them the option where they can be transferred to reduce the hospital admissions and accommodate other patients),” she added.
Some local government units have retained the isolation facilities they built earlier.
Hence, the DOH does not see the need to open new facilities.
“Mayroon tayong ka-kontrata pa rin na hotel especially for our healthcare workers na nagkakasakit na dati nating ginagamit na hanggang ngayon ginagamit pa rin (We still have a contract with a hotel especially for our healthcare workers who get sick which we continue to use until now),” Vergeire said. (PNA)
