Another Olongapo hospital now at critical level

FILE PHOTO. Olongapo City was about to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 last December, 2021 until the new wave of coronavirus surge hit, placing another under critical level status due to an increase in infection. (Joanna Rose Aglibot)

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — Another hospital in Olongapo City has reached the critical level status due to a high bed utilization rate, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed on Thursday, Jan. 13.

Only one of the eight isolation beds in Ridon’s St. Jude Medical Center has not been occupied.

Earlier, the DOH had placed Zambales Medical Mission Group Coop Hospital under a critical level status after all of its six isolation beds were occupied.

The same DOH data showed that James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital, the main COVID-19 quarantine facility in the city, is now at a moderate level.

Only six intensive care unit (ICU) beds, 13 isolation beds and 16 ward beds for COVID-19 patients remained available in the city.

As of Thursday, the city’s COVID-19 active cases rose to 353 after 86 more residents tested positive for the viral disease.

Since the pandemic struck in 2020, the city has already recorded 5,816 COVID-19 cases with 5,145 recoveries and 318 deaths.

Just last December, 2021, it announced that it was already nearing herd immunity due to its high vaccination rate and low infection rate.

EDV