Hospital COVID admission rates fall in a sign of easing crisis

FILE PHOTO: A medical worker at a hospital in Mandaluyong City checks COVID admissions. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines—Recent data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed that new cases of COVID-19 in the country have been decreasing again, as figures dipped below 5,000 for almost two weeks straight.

On Sunday (Feb. 20) the health department recorded 1,712 new COVID-19 cases in the country. This replaced the lowest daily count the country has tallied this year, which was previously 1,923 on Feb. 19.

READ: PH posts 1,712 new COVID-19 cases; lowest daily tally since Dec. 30

It was also the lowest number of new cases reported since Dec. 30, 2021.

GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan

Since Feb, 16, the positivity rate has also been going down with 9.60 percent, 9.70 percent on Feb. 17, 0.10 percent on Feb. 18, 7.90 percent on Feb. 19, and 8.80 percent on Feb, 20.

This is the first time that the country’s positivity rate dropped below 10 percent since Dec. 31, 2021.

READ: DOH says COVID-19 positivity rate dips below 10%, infects 2,671 more in PH

Still, the DOH noted that the average number of tests conducted in February also decreased considerably compared to January’s—when the country saw a spike in COVID infections attributed to the Omicron variant, which has been found to be more transmissible than Delta.

GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan

The DOH’s daily case bulletin has shown that starting Feb. 1, tests conducted for SARS Cov2, the virus that causes COVID-19, ranged between 31,053 and 42,446—much lower than last month’s, when tests were consistently higher, ranging from 43,878 to 81,737 from Jan. 5-31.

READ: Tests conducted for COVID-19 lower in February

The lowest number of tests conducted this year was 18,587 on Jan. 3.

Meanwhile, tests conducted from Feb. 13 to Feb. 20 were between 20,084 and 311,403.

With these figures reported, one question stands: How does the current data translate to COVID-19 hospital bed occupancy status in the country, especially in the National Capital Region (NCR)?

In this article, INQUIRER.net will detail how the recent data affected the availability of COVID-19 beds in hospitals nationwide, and specifically in the NCR.

Nationwide facilities data

DOH data as of Feb. 19 showed that the overall COVID-19 bed occupancy rate in the Philippines was at 14.0 percent, with 9,332 beds occupied out of 38,839 beds available nationwide.

The data was based on 97.4 percent reporting by facilities (around 1,289 facilities) submitted to the FOH DataCollect App.

The health department also classifies occupancy levels for COVID-19 beds as critical, high risk, moderate and safe.

Critical means hospitals have already reached more than 85 percent of COVID bed capacity.

High risk means 70 percent of available beds are occupied.

Moderate means 60 to 70 percent of COVID beds are occupied.

Safe means the occupancy rate of COVID beds is 60 percent or lower.

In the country, as of Feb. 19, there were 1,138 facilities listed as safe, 28 facilities marked as moderate, 17 facilities high risk and 20 facilities under critical risk classification.

GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan

In terms of the availability of beds and equipment, the DOH recorded:

• ICU beds: 29.58% occupied (1,136) out of 3,840 total ICU beds.
• Isolation beds: 25.46% occupied (5,287) out of 20,769  total isolation beds.
• Ward beds: 20.36% occupied (2,969) out of 14, 580  total ward beds.
• Mechanical ventilators: 15.36% in use (470) out of 3,060 total mechanical ventilators.

NCR bed occupancy status

As of Feb. 19, the only facility that reported 100 percent bed occupancy was the SDS Medical Center in Marikina, where all seven beds dedicated for COVID-19 cases were occupied.

GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan

According to data from the 158 Metro Manila facilities submitted to the DOH DataCollect App, it was also the lone facility classified as critical in terms of COVID-19 bed occupancy.

There were five facilities listed as high risk, six as moderate risk, and 143 facilities as safe.

These figures were a huge decline from data recorded on Jan. 7, or during the post-holiday COVID-19 surge, which resulted in:

• 6 facilities with 100 percent bed occupancy
• 21 facilities under the critical status
• 26 facilities under the high risk status
• 17 facilities under moderate risk status
• 93 facilities under the safe status

READ: Post-holiday COVID surge threatens NCR hospital capacities

Data on beds and equipment also noted that in Metro Manila, there were:

• ICU beds: 27.25% occupied (336) out of 1,233 total ICU beds.
• Isolation beds: 23.04% occupied (1,060) out of 4,601 total isolation beds.
• Ward beds: 25.71% occupied (1,057) out of 4,112 total ward beds.
• Mechanical ventilators: 17.15% in use (470) out of 1,038 total mechanical ventilators.

Overall, the DOH noted that the bed occupancy rate for the whole of Metro Manila was 24.7 percent, or still safe, with 2,453 COVID-19 beds occupied out of the total 9,946 beds for COVID-19 in the region.

List of NCR facilities, COVID-19 bed occupancy classification

INQUIRER.net analyzed the most recent available data—Feb. 19, 2022—from the DOH’s COVID-19 tracker.

This report seeks to show how prepared Metro Manila hospitals are, should there be a rush in COVID infections in the capital, which remains to be the epicenter of the health crisis in the Philippines and accounts for more than half of the country’s economy.

GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan

However, only hospitals in Metro Manila that have information on COVID-19 bed allocation for the treatment of patients were included in this article.

CRITICAL

SDS Medical Center – 100.0 percent (7 beds occupied, 7 total beds)

HIGH RISK – 5 facilities

Bernardino General  Hospital II – 77.8 percent (7 beds occupied, 9 total beds)
Philippine Children’s Medical Center – 71.6 percent (58 beds occupied, 81 total beds)
San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital – 73.9 percent (17 beds occupied, 23 total beds)
UP  Philippine General Hospital – 75.8 percent (200 beds occupied, 164 total beds)
Valenzuela Medical Center – 73.1 percent (21 beds occupied, 26 total beds)

MODERATE – 6 facilities

Alabang Medical Clinic – 66.7 percent (4 beds occupied, 6 total beds)
Novaliches District Hospital – 68.8 percent (33 beds occupied, 48 total beds)
Ospital ng Makati – 66.0 percent (95 beds occupied, 144 total beds)
Pasig City Children’s Hospital Child’s Hope – 66.0 percent (93 beds occupied, 141 total beds)
Sta. Teresita General Hospital – 60 percent (3 beds occupied, 5 total beds)
Unihealth Parañaque Hospital and Medical Center, Inc. – 60 percent (9 beds occupied, 15 total beds)

SAFE – 143 facilities

A Zarate General Hospital – No occupied beds (5 total beds)
Acebedo General Hospital – No occupied beds (1 bed)
Adventist Medical Center Manila – 4.4 percent (2 beds occupied, 45 total beds)
Air Force General Hospital – No occupied beds (50 total beds)
Alabang Medical Center – No occupied beds (7 total beds)
Alabang Medical Clinic Las Piñas Branch – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
Alabang Medical Clinic Muntinlupa Branch – No occupied beds (8 total beds)
Alfonso Specialist Hospital – No occupied beds (3 total beds)
Allied Care Experts (ACE) Medical Center – Pateros, Inc. – 11.1 percent (2 beds occupied, 18 total beds)
Allied Care Experts (ACE) Medical Center – Quezon City, Inc. – 3.4 percent (1 bed occupied, 29 total beds)
Allied Care Experts (ACE) Medical Center – Valenzuela, Inc. – 22.9 percent (11 beds occupied, 48 total beds)
Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center – 14.4 percent (25 beds occupied, 174 total)
Army General Hospital – 0.4 percent (1 bed occupied, 232 total beds)
Asian Hospital Inc. – 50 percent (11 bed occupied, 22 total beds)
Bermudez Polymedic Hospital – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
Bernardino General Hospital I – 53.8 percent (7 beds occupied, 13 total beds)
Calalang General Hospital – No occupied beds (1 bed)
Caloocan City Medical Center – 31.1 percent (14 beds occupied, 45 total beds)
Capitol Medical Center, Inc. – 51.7 percent (30 beds occupied, 58 total beds)
Cardinal Santos Medical Center – 10.7 percent (8 beds occupied, 75 total beds)
Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center – 14.2 percent (26 beds occupied, 183 total beds)
Christ the King Medical Center Unihealth Las Piñas, Inc. – 33.3 percent (2 beds occupied, 6 total beds)
Commonwealth Hospital and Medical Center – 23.5 percent (8 beds occupied, 34 total beds)
Cruz-Rabe Maternity and General Hospital – No occupied beds (8 total beds)
Cure and Care Maternity Hospital OPC – No occupied beds (5 total beds)
De Los Santos Medical Center – 10.7 percent (3 beds occupied, 28 total beds)
De Ocampo Memorial Medical Center – No occupied beds (12 total beds)
Diliman Doctors Hospital, Inc. – 7.9 percent (3 beds occupied, 38 total beds)
Divine Heart Medical Service and Development Cooperative Hospital – No occupied beds
Dr. Fe Del Mundo Medical Center – 2.9 percent (1 bed occupied, 35 total beds)
Dr. Jesus C. Delgado Memorial Hospital – No occupied beds (16 total beds)
Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital – 6.8 percent (46 beds occupied, 674 total beds)
Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital – 17.3 percent (90 beds occupied, 520 total beds)
Dr. Montano G. Ramos General Hospital Corporation – 12.5 percent (1 bed occupied, 8 total beds)
Dr. Sabili Health Services Corporation – No occupied beds (12 total beds)
E Zarate Hospital – No occupied beds (5 total beds)
East Avenue Medical Center – 53.8 percent (164 beds occupied, 305 total beds)
F.Y. Manalo Medical Foundation – 7.7 percent (10 beds occupied, 130 total beds)
Fairview General Hospital, Inc. – 30.8 percent (4 beds occupied, 13 total beds)
Fatima University Medical Center, Corporation – 17.8 percent (8 beds occupied, 45 total beds)
FEU – Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation, Inc. – 3.0 percent (1 bed occupied, 33 total beds)
Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission, Inc. – Our Lady of Peace Hospital – No occupied beds (27 total beds)
Garcia General Hospital – No occupied beds (16 total beds)
Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center – 27 percent (20 beds occupied, 74 total beds)
Gen. Miguel Malvar Medical Research Foundation, Inc. – No occupied beds (4 total beds)
Holylife Hospital – No occupied beds (8 total beds)
Hospital of the Infant Jesus Medical Center – No occupied beds (42 total beds)
J.P. Sioson General Hospital and Colleges, Inc. – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center – 25.7 percent (65 beds occupied, 253 total beds)
Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital – 16.2 percent (11 beds occupied, 68 total beds)
Las Piñas City Medical Center – 20 percent (5 beds occupied, 25 total beds)
Las Piñas Doctors Hospital, Inc. – 5.1 percent (3 beds occupied, 59 total beds)
Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center – 55.7 percent (49 beds occupied, 88 total beds)
Lung Center of the Philippines – 17.6 percent (9 beds occupied, 51 total beds)
Makati Medical Center – 53.7 percent (36 beds occupied, 67 total beds)
Mandaluyong City Medical Center – 46.7 percent (35 beds occupied, 75 total beds)
Manila Doctors Hospital – 2.8 percent (2 beds occupied, 72 total beds)
Manila Naval Hospital – 6.1 percent (2 beds occupied, 33 total beds)
Marikina Doctors Hospital and Medical Center, Inc. – 30 percent (3 beds occupied, 10 total beds)
Marikina St. Vincent General Hospital, Inc. – 10 percent (1 bed occupied, 10 total beds)
Marikina Valley Medical Center – 6.5 percent (2 beds occupied, 31 total beds)
Martinez Memorial Hospital, Inc. – No occupied beds (10 total beds)
Mary Chiles General Hospital, Inc. – 3.6 percent (2 beds occupied, 55 total beds)
Mary Johnston Hospital, Inc. – 4.2 percent (1 bed occupied, 24 total beds)
MCPC St. Therese of Lisieux Doctors Hospital – No occupied beds (1 bed)
MCU – FDT Medical Foundation Hospital – No occupied beds (26 total beds)
Medical Center Manila, Inc. –  11.5 percent (7 beds occupied, 61 total beds)
Medical Center Muntinlupa, Inc. – 36.4 percent (8 beds occupied, 22 total beds)
Medical Center of Taguig City, Inc. – 26.7 percent (4 beds occupied, 15 total beds)
Medical Center Parañaque, Inc. – 25.0 percent (5 beds occupied, 20 total beds)
Metro North Medical Center and Hospital Inc. – 16.0 percent (4 beds occupied, 25 total beds)
Metropolitan Medical Center – No occupied beds (89 total beds)
Mission Hospital – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
National Center for Mental Health – 14.4 percent (181 beds occupied, 1,260 total beds)
National Children’s Hospital – 52.1 percent (61 beds occupied, 117 total beds)
National Kidney and Transplant Institute – 55.3 percent (84 beds occupied, 152 total beds)
Navotas City Hospital – 6.7 percent (1 bed occupied, 15 total beds)
Nodado General Hospital – No occupied beds (12 total beds)
North Caloocan Doctors Hospital, Inc. – No occupied beds (9 total beds)
Novaliches General Hospital, Inc. – (5 beds occupied, 35 total beds)
Olivarez General Hospital, Inc. – 15.0 percent (3 beds occupied, 20 total beds)
Ospital ng Makati – 26.7 percent (8 beds occupied, 30 total beds)
Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center – 8.7 percent (13 beds occupied, 150 total beds)
Ospital ng Muntinlupa – 45.6 percent (47 beds occupied, 103 total beds)
Ospital ng Parañaque – 12.0 percent (3 beds occupied, 25 total beds)
Ospital ng Sampaloc – 7.7 percent (2 beds occupied, 26 total beds)
Ospital ng Tondo – 10.0 percent (2 beds occupied, 20 total beds)
Our Lady of Grace Hospital, Inc. – No occupied beds (9 total beds)
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Inc. – 27.0 percent (10 beds occupied, 37 total beds)
Pacific Global Medical Center, Inc. – 2.9 percent (1 bed occupied, 35 total beds)
Pasay City General Hospital – 25.4 percent (18 occupied beds, 71 total beds)
Pasig City General Hospital – 28.8 percent (17 beds occupied, 59 total beds)
Pasig Doctors Medical Center, Inc. – 38.9 percent (7 beds occupied, 18 total beds)
Perpetual Succor Hospital & Maternity, Inc. – No occupied beds (19 total beds)
Philippine Heart Center – 28.9 percent (33 beds occupied, 114 total beds)
Philippine Orthopedic Center – 23.3 percent (7 beds occupied, 30 total beds)
Pope John Paul II Hospital and Medical Center Inc. – No occupied beds (23 total beds)
Protacio Hospital – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
Providence Hospital, Inc. – 10 percent (2 beds occupied, 20 total beds)
Queensberry Hospital – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
Quezon City General Hospital – 23.7 percent (27 beds occupied, 114 total beds)
Quirino Memorial Medical Center – 52.2 percent (82 beds occupied, 157 total beds)
Recuenco General Hospital, Inc. – No occupied beds (4 total beds)
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine – 27.3 percent (3 beds occupied, 11 total beds)
Rizal Medical Center – 33.8 percent (45 beds occupied, 133 total beds)
Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital – 55.6 percent (30 beds occupied, 54 total beds)
Sabater General Hospital, Inc. – No occupied beds (1 bed)
Salve Reginal General Hospital, Inc. – No occupied beds (15 total beds)
San Juan De Dios Educational Foundation Inc. – 12.5 percent (2 beds occupied, 16 total beds)
San Juan Medical Center – 30.6 percent (26 beds occupied, 85 total beds)
San Lazaro Hospital – 18.7 percent (34 beds occupied, 182 total beds)
San Lorenzo Hospital Health Management Co., Inc. – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
Seamen’s Hospital – 42.9 percent (6 beds occupied, 14 total beds)
St. Anthony Medical Center of Marikina, Inc. – No occupied beds (8 total beds)
St. Camillus Medical Center – No occupied beds (13 total beds)
St. Christiana Maternity Hospital – No occupied beds (3 total beds)
St. Clare’s Medical Center, Inc. – 6.7 percent (1 bed occupied, 15 total beds)
St. Jude General Hospital and Medical Center – No occupied beds (17 total beds)
St. Luke’s Medical Center – 3.7 percent (4 beds occupied, 108 total beds)
St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City – 10.7 percent (11 beds occupied, 103 total beds)
St. Martin De Porres Charity Hospital – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
St. Victoria Hospital – No occupied beds (7 total beds)
Sta. Ana Hospital – 13.1 percent (19 beds occupied, 145 total beds)
Taguig-Pateros District Hospital – 12.1 percent (17 beds occupied, 140 total beds)
The Medical City – 39.5 percent (15 beds occupied, 38 total beds)
The Premier Medical Center – No occupied beds (18 total beds)
Tondo Medical Center – 53.2 percent (116 beds occupied, 218 total beds)
Tricity Medical Center, Inc. – 12.5 percent (3 beds occupied, 24 total beds)
Trinity Woman and Child Center “The Birthplace” – No occupied beds (6 total beds)
U.E.R.M Memorial Hospital – 45 percent (9 beds occupied, 20 total beds)
UHBI-Parañaque Doctors Hospital, Inc. – 5.0 percent (3 beds occupied, 60 total beds)
United Doctors Medical Center – 20 percent (2 beds occupied, 10 total beds)
University of Perpetual Help Dalta Medical Center, Inc. – 47.2 percent (17 beds occupied, 36 total beds)
University of Santo Tomas – 13.6 percent (8 beds occupied, 59 total beds)
Urology Center of the Philippines, Inc. – No occupied beds (4 total beds)
Valenzuela Citicare Medical Center Timog Hilaga Providence Group, Inc. – No occupied beds (15 total beds)
Veterans Memorial Medical Center – 48.8 percent (122 beds occupied, 250 total beds)
Victoriano Luna Medical Center – 18.8 percent (36 beds occupied, 191 total beds)
Villarosa Hospital, Inc. – No occupied beds (2 total beds)
VRP Medical Center – 6.3 percent (4 beds occupied, 64 total beds)
VT Maternity Hospital – No occupied beds (4 total beds)
Word of Hope General Hospital Foundation, Inc. – No occupied beds (9 total beds)
World Citi Medical Center – 16.7 percent (6 beds occupied, 36 total beds)

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