DOH: Covid-19 situation in Cebu City still manageable

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said the situation in Cebu City, despite registering a spike of Covid-19 cases last year, remains manageable at the moment.

This comes after a research group’s study indicated that Cebu City’s hospital utilization rate may reach a critical level if the current increasing trend in the locality’s Covid-19 cases continues.

“Itong sinasabi ng OCTA Research sa Cebu City kung sakali might reach critical level in terms of hospital utilization, well, hindi pa natin nakikita sa ngayon dahil nakikita naman po natin na we are able to manage,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press briefing.

(This OCTA Research on Cebu City that it might reach a critical level in terms of hospital utilization, well, we do not see it as of now because what we see now is we are able to manage.)

“Pero sana ‘wag magtuloy-tuloy ‘yung pagtaas ng kaso (But I hope the increase of cases will not continue) so we can still manage, and that is the primary objective on why we are doing this so our systems will not be overwhelmed,” she added.

In its latest monitoring report released Tuesday, OCTA Research sounded the alarm over Cebu City’s Covid-19 situation and warned that the hospital utilization rate in the city may hit 70 percent if the current trend of cases persists.

READ: Cebu City’s COVID-19 spike continues, stricter quarantine an option – OCTA

Vergeire said the One Hospital Command Center in Cebu also helps in tapping other possible resources of beds for Covid-19 patients.

Cebu City has so far logged 13,806 Covid-19 cases, based on the tracker of DOH. Of this number, 1,816 are active cases, 11,293 are recoveries, and 697 are deaths.

Meanwhile, Vergeire agreed with the observation of OCTA Research that there is no noticeable increase in new cases of Covid-19 in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon.

“When it comes to NCR (National Capital Region), Region 4A, Region 3, faring better? Yes, because of course kapag hindi naman tumataas ang mga kaso hindi rin naman magkakaroon ng ganoon kadaming utilization kaya nakikita natin na nandoon pa lang sa low risk itong mga areas na ito, and ayaw naman natin maging complacent because of that,” she said.

(When it comes to NCR, Region 4A, and Region 3 if they are faring better? Yes, because if there is no increase in Covid-19 cases, we won’t see increased hospital utilization that’s why we see that the utilization rate in these areas remain at low risk, and we don’t want to be complacent because of that.)

KGA