DOH: Supply of ventilators for use of COVID-19 patients enough for now

According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, there are at least 100 ventilators in hospitals across Metro Manila and about 400 outside the nation’s capital region.

For now, according to the DOH official, the number of ventilators is enough because only 5 percent of COVID-19 patients globally are severe enough to require intensive care and use of ventilators.

“Hindi po natin sinasabi na maghuhusto ito, pero sa ngayon husto pa ito at meron pa tayong available machines,” Vergeire said in a virtual press briefing.

(We are saying this is adequate but, for now, this is enough and we still have available machines.)

Nonetheless, the health official assured DOH is looking to procure more ventilators in case more patients would need them.

“Kasama po ito sa mga listahan na hinahanapan natin ng suppliers para makapag-procure ang ating kagawaran,” she added.

(This is included in the list of items that our DOH is trying to source.)

To date, the infectious respiratory disease, which was first detected in Hubei, China late last year, has infected 2,084 people as of Tuesday, 88 of whom have died while 49 managed to recover.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus that leads to COVID-19 as SARS-CoV-2 or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

It causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but experts warned that older persons with preexisting health conditions were more vulnerable to the disease.

To prevent infection, authorities are urging people to practice regular hand washing, cover the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and avoid close contact with those who show respiratory symptoms.

Globally, the virus already infected more than 785,800 people and killed more than 37,800 as of March 31. On the other hand, over 165,655 people have recovered so far from the disease.

The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

KGA