Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The rise in number of COVID-19 cases in some parts of Metro Manila and provinces over the past week should not be a cause for concern as the recent uptick has not translated to increased hospital admissions, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
“What would be most important, especially right now, would be if this increase in cases translates to increased admissions in hospitals,” Vergeire said in an online briefing on Friday.
The Department of Health (DOH) had said that it was closely monitoring certain areas in the regions of Mimaropa, Central Luzon, Davao, Caraga, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and Eastern Visayas for posting a one-week positive growth rate in the past week.
Gradual increases in cases were also noted in Metro Manila’s lone town of Pateros as well as the cities of Navotas, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Taguig, Muntinlupa and Marikina.
Some hospitals, such as Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and Makati Medical Center, have recently released separate statements and data showing that healthcare utilization remains at a low level.
The latest data from government-run PGH, the country’s main COVID-19 referral hospital, on April 19 showed that there were 27 patients admitted at the hospital.
This was a significant drop from when it operated at near capacity, with admissions as high as 345 in January, which was blamed on the Omicron variant.
In a statement on Thursday, Makati Medical Center said that its admissions for COVID-19 patients in both regular isolation and critical care units “remain at a very low level.”
“The COVID-19 positivity rate based on emergency department, outpatient and inpatient testing remains less than five percent,” the private hospital said. It also said that no hospital staff, whether trainee, employee or consultant, were hospitalized for the coronavirus.
The statement was made in response to messages passed around social media saying that COVID-19 cases in the hospital are rising again.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health on Saturday released the guidelines for the implementation of second booster shots for immunocompromised individuals.
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