Port terminal-turned-COVID-19 facility ready to accept patients with mild symptoms

MANILA, Philippines – The Eva Macapagal Super Terminal in Pier 15, which was converted into a COVID-19 facility, is ready to accept patients with mild symptoms, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Monday.

A post on DOTr’s Facebook page explained that the opening of the facility would be made earlier than expected after retrofitting works were finished ahead of time.  As of now, there are 211 cubicles distributed in different zones which can accommodate patients with mild, advanced and severe infections.

“It is provided with hospital beds, portable toilets, cargo containers for showers, and open-air dining facilities. Nurses’ stations will also be set up outside, with plastic barrier views of the inside to minimize the use of personal protective equipment (PPE),” DOTr said.

“The facility is fitted with airtight doors to prevent aerosols containing the COVID-19 coronavirus from spreading.  The interior layout of the quarantine terminal is generally open to allow a conducive space for the healing of patients,” they added.

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According to DOTr, medical personnel from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) would man the facility, while the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) would provide additional support personnel if needed.

“The treatment facility will operate alongside the quarantine ships, which were separately set up to accommodate repatriated seafarers and other OFWs who do not manifest COVID-19 symptoms but are required to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine on their arrival to the country,” DOTr said.

The initiative is part of the response efforts of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), in cooperation with the Lopez Group of Companies, 2Go, and Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) to aid the containment efforts against the deadly coronavirus.

It can be recalled that the Lopez Group of Companies has donated P100 million funding support for the establishment of the Pier 15 treatment facility.

As of now, Luzon is still under an enhanced community quarantine due to the rising COVID-19 cases in the country, which currently has one of the highest coronavirus infection and mortality rates in the Southeast Asian region.

DOH said that there are now 6,459 COVID-19 cases all over the country, with 429 casualties and 613 recoveries.  Worldwide, over 2.40 million individuals have been infected, while 165,788 have died from the disease and 620,696 have recovered from it.

READ: BREAKING: Over 600 COVID-19 patients recover in PH – DOH