DOH: COVID-19 hospital bed occupancy decreasing

MANILA, Philippines — More hospital beds are available for COVID-19 patients in Metro Manila as the utilization rate of coronavirus-dedicated wards is decreasing, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that as of September 2, the hospital utilization rate in Metro Manila is 67%, down from the previous 86%.

Next to Metro Manila, the second-highest hospital utilization rate is Calabarzon at 59% followed by Western Visayas at 55%, she added.

But the DOH official did not reveal or explain the reason for the drop in the utilization rate of hospital wards dedicated to COVID-19 patients.

“We have seen this decreasing trend in the past weeks,” she said in an online media forum.

Vergeire nonetheless stressed that this downward movement in the hospital utilization rate does not mean that the public should be complacent.

Vergeire said the DOH is continuously working with public and private hospitals in expanding capacities for COVID-19 cases.

Earlier, a message from a medical student circulated on social media claiming that hospitals are still at their full capacity for virus-stricken individuals.

“We advise the public to not fully rely on anecdotal information like this. While they may be true, they are only experiences and observations of a handful of people and not a representative of the Philippines,” the Health official said.

As of September 3, the Philippines has 228,403 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 159,475 recoveries and 3,688 deaths.

KGA