DAVAO CITY – The Department of Health in Davao Region (DOH-11) urged hospitals Wednesday to prepare for the possible surge of coronavirus disease 2019 (Coid-19) cases in their areas due to the recent Holy Week observance.
“Given the situation, there is a compelling need for hospitals to prepare for the possibility of a surge, especially with the long holiday in observance of the Holy Week, in which family and public gatherings were expected,” DOH-11 said in an advisory.
DOH-11 bared that there has been a notable increase in Covid-19 cases in Davao Region, particularly in this city.
As of April 10, the healthcare utilization rate shows that the regional hospital capacity is at 31.1 percent for non-intensive care unit (ICU) bed use and 40.4 percent for ICU bed use.
The agency reminded health facilities to observe the guidelines for Covid-19 response which mandates that all hospitals allocate at least 20 percent of their current authorized bed capacity for Covid-19 patients.
For level 2 and 3 hospitals, at least 15 percent of all Covid-19 dedicated beds shall be ICU beds or ICU-ready beds.
Hospitals will be responsible for the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of policies, guidelines, and procedures related to infection mitigation, DOH-11 said. (PNA)
