East Avenue Medical Center COVID-19 wards reach ‘critical level’

MANILA, Philippines — The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) wards of the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City are now in “critical level” after reaching over 90% occupancy.

This was revealed by its spokesman Dennis Ordoña on Friday, admitting that the surge of coronavirus disease patients started after Metro Manila was placed under general community quarantine (GCQ).

“Around mga ikalawa o ikatlong linggo ng Hunyo, marami na talaga, biglang dumami ‘yung pasyente,” he said in an interview over ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.

(Around second or third week of June, the number of COVID-19 cases have increased.)

“Sakto ito mga around two weeks after the declaration ng GCQ, dumami ‘yung mga kaso. Masasabi namin na critical level na ang dami ng pasyente namin,” Ordoña added.

(This is around the time Metro Manila was placed under GCQ. We can say that the admission of COVID-19 patients is already at critical level.)

At present, the hospital has allocated around 20% of its facilities and resources for COVID-19 patients. It will reallocate and reassign other wards to reach the allocation of 30% capacity in accommodating COVID-19 patients as required by the Department of Health.

However, Ordoña said the hospital expects that it will take only a week before the reallocated wards will again be filled by coronavirus-infected patients.

He admitted that the hospital cannot convert all of its wards to accommodate COVID-19 cases as it still has about 300 patients who have other health conditions and illnesses.

The hospital instead is trying to refer to other hospitals, COVID-19 patients, especially those with mild symptoms.

As of July 16, Quezon City has 4,666 confirmed COVID-19 patients. Of these, 1,954 are considered active.

Residents who have recovered from the respiratory illness are now at 2,519 while 193 have died because of it.

/MUF