DOH: No forced transfer to quarantine facilities of mild virus patients in hospitals

MANILA, Philippines — Patients who have mild symptoms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who are now confined in hospitals will not be forced to transfer to temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

In an online media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that hospitals should continue attending to mild COVID-19 cases who are confined in their facilities until they no longer show symptoms.

“Ang ginagawa natin ay proactive tayo. I mean hindi tayo magre-retroactive, meaning kung sino lang ang mga darating ngayon, ‘yun na ‘yun ipapatupad ang protocol at kailangan sumunod ng mga ospital,” Vergeire said.

Most of those mild patients now in hospitals have comorbidities or are included in the vulnerable population, the Health official noted.

The DOH is urging hospitals to refer mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to state-run quarantine facilities to avoid congestion and to prioritize severe and critical cases.

To stop community transmission, the government has also started moving to isolation sites patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms or are asymptomatic from homes that are ill-equipped for home quarantine.

Patients deemed asymptomatic or with mild symptoms are allowed to quarantine at home, provided that they have their own rooms, own baths, and do not have any individual in their house who is considered vulnerable.

According to Vergeire, the occupancy rate of the government’s isolation facilities have yet to reach maximum capacity

“Almost 50% pa lang ang occupancy kaya hinihikayat natin ang local government units na magkaroon ng network with this temporary monitoring facilities para every time na they will identify mild and asymptomatic tapos hindi talaga posible ang home quarantine, they can refer directly to these facilities,” she said.

Data from the DOH showed that as of July 10, over 74 percent or 52,223 beds are still available in COVID- LIGTAS centers, which are community-managed facilities dedicated to quarantine or isolation of suspected COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, 1,958 beds (61 percent) are still available in MEGA LIGTAS COVID-19 facilities such as the Philippine International Convention Center, World Trade Center, Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Ninoy Aquino Stadium, and the Philippine Arena — all managed by the government.

/MUF