LOCKED OUT DURING LOCKDOWN Patients with COVID-19 are virtually locked out of Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center which displayed “full capacity” on Saturday to announce it could no longer accept new coronavirus cases during the ongoing lockdown. People suffering severe symptoms have had to find hospitals outside Metro Manila as many are turning them away for lack of space. —RICHARD A. REYES (FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines—There is no letup in COVID-19’s assault on the health system of the country’s economic and commercial hub, Metro Manila.
Data from the Department of Health as of June 2 showed that eight of 15 hospitals in the metropolis, which had been on critical status during a new surge in COVID-19 cases, are now 100 percent full.
These are:
Calalang General Hospital
E Zarate Hospital
F.Y. Manalo Medical Foundation
Metro North Medical Center and Hospital Inc.
Philippine Orthopedic Center
Recuenco General Hospital, Inc.
Valenzuela Citicare Medical Center Timog Hilaga
VRP Medical Center
The numbers were higher than those last May 19—five hospitals with 100 percent occupancy and 12 on critical status.
Pressure on NCR hospitals easing but 5 near full capacity for COVID-19
At least nine hospitals remained on the high-risk list, which was fewer than 13 facilities last week.
At least 10 hospitals were listed as moderately at risk and a total of 120 were on the safe list.
Recent data also showed that 1,546 facilities had submitted numbers and had been categorized based on the occupancy of COVID-19 beds.
Also, at least 48.86 percent—598 out of 1,224—of total intensive care unit (ICU) beds solely for COVID-19 in Metro Manila hospitals are already in use, according to the same DOH data.
The June 2 DOH data also showed that 41.11 percent—1,974 out of 4,814—of isolation beds in National Capital Region (NCR) is already occupied. The same is true for 37.55 percent—1,340 out of 3,569—for ward beds in the capital region.
The DOH, however, said bed occupancy rate for the entire NCR was 40.8 percent, which was in the “safe zone.” At least 3,917 out of a total 9,607 beds are in use, the DOH said. This was lower than 42.5 percent occupancy rate last week.
DOH classifies occupancy levels for COVID-19 beds in health facilities as critical, high risk, moderate, and safe.
Critical hospitals are those with 85 percent bed occupancy rates. High-risk hospitals are those with 70 percent bed occupancy and those with 60 to 70 percent bed occupancy are considered to be at moderate risk.
Hospitals are considered on safe status if bed occupancy is less than 60 percent.
INQUIRER.net analyzed the latest available data—June 2, 2021—based on DOH’s COVID-19 tracker.
This article seeks to show how prepared Metro Manila hospitals are, should there be a deluge in coronavirus infections in the Philippine capital, which continues to be the epicenter of the health catastrophe.
But only hospitals in Metro Manila that have information on COVID-19 bed allocation were included in this report.
Critical
The 15 hospitals in critical levels were in:
Quezon City – 8
Valenzuela – 2
Las Piñas-2
Taguig -1
Mandaluyong-1
Marikina-1
Those with full COVID-19 bed capacity were scattered around:
Quezon City-3
Valenzuela-2
Las Piñas-1
Taguig-1
Mandaluyong-1
High risk
Quezon City-4
Marikina-2
Makati-1
Taguig-1
Manila-1
Moderate
Manila – 2
Pasig – 2
Las Piñas – 1
Muntinlupa – 1
Pasay – 1
Taguig – 1
Quezon City – 1
Valenzuela – 1
Safe
Quezon City – 31
Manila – 23
Pasig – 12
Caloocan – 8
Parañaque – 8
Las Piñas – 6
Muntinlupa – 6
Taguig – 5
Marikina – 4
Taguig – 4
San Juan – 3
Pasay – 3
Mandaluyong – 2
Valenzuela – 2
Navotas – 1
Malabon – 1
Pateros – 1
On June 3, the DOH reported 7,217 new cases of COVID-19, driving the nationwide count to 1,247,899 including 55,790 active cases, 1,170,752 recovered patients, and 21,357 deaths.
READ: Daily count of new COVID-19 cases tops 7,000 again as 199 more die