The Medical City emergency room turned ICU-like by COVID-19

The emergency room of The Medical City in Pasig was turned into an intensive care unit (ICU) as the hospital grapples with the influx of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

According to a Tuesday 24 Oras report by Raffy Tima, the hospital had to confine some of its COVID-19 patients in the emergency room as the ICU was at full capacity.

Videos inside the emergency room taken by Dr. Sally-Mae Abelanes show that each patient’s cubicle was covered with plastic sheets to prevent the spread of respiratory droplets, the main mode of transmission for COVID-19.

Several patients have been in the converted ICU for over a week as they were still awaiting the results of their COVID-19 test.

Meanwhile, healthcare workers at The Medical City needed to change their gloves each time they touched COVID-19 patients.

Strict protocols such as these had caused their supplies of protective gear to run low.

Abelanes said the emergency department alone used 200 N95 masks daily.

The emergency department also convenes for meetings to update their protocols as the COVID-19 situation in the country escalates.

“Ingatan niyo sarili niyo ha,” one doctor reminded her colleagues.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Philippines had recorded over 2,000 COVID-19 cases with 88 deaths and 49 fatalities. — Julia Mari Ornedo/DVM, GMA News