Health care utilization rate in 2 provinces at ‘critical level’ — Duque

MANILA, Philippines — Two provinces in the country have reached the critical level in terms of health care utilization rate, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday.

“Ang Davao de Oro, Compostela Valley, Baguio City are on critical level health care utilization rate [CUR]. Nueva Viscaya and Agusan del Norte are at high-level CUR,” Duque told President Rodrigo Duterte in a televised meeting.

Duque assured that they are coordinating with regional health centers, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and local government units to address these provinces’ health care capacity.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will discuss on Tuesday the new quarantine classifications for the month of February, Duque added.

Health care utilization rate refers to the number of intensive care units, isolation beds, and ventilators currently in use in an area’s health and medical facilities.

The Department of Health classifies this as either critical, high risk, moderate, or safe.

Under the “critical” level, hospitals have already reached more than 85 percent of their bed occupancy for Covid-19 patients while hospitals are classified as “high risk” if 70 percent, but not more than 85 percent of its Covid-19 beds are occupied.

Hospitals with a Covid-19 bed capacity of from 60 to 70 percent rate are classified as “moderate” while hospitals fall under the “safe” level if the bed utilization rate is less than 60 percent.

/MUF