Año to NCR LGUs: Endorse mild, asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to Oplan Kalinga facilities

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has advised local government units in the National Capital Region (NCR) to endorse mild and asymptomatic patients which they can no longer accommodate to Oplan Kalinga isolation facilities.

In a statement issued Monday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said more or less 4,000 beds are available in Oplan Kalinga facilities due to the increase in discharges or recoveries in the previous weeks.

“We urge all Metro Manila LGUs to endorse patients which they can no longer accommodate in their local isolation facilities, to endorse them to the Mega TTMFs and Oplan Kalinga Hotels which now has some 4,000 beds available because many have already been discharged,”  Año said.

He said this is in compliance with IATF Resolution No. 74 in which all confirmed mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients are required to isolate in government-approved facilities, except those who are vulnerable or have comorbidities as certified by a local health officer.

Also exempted in this rule are confirmed mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in areas where the government-recognized isolation centers are already in full capacity, Año said.

“Meron tayong mga mega quarantine facilities and 31 COVID hotels na kung saan puwede sila mag-isolate. Importante kasi talaga na mailabas sila sa bahay kasi nakahahawa sa pamilya,” he said.

According to DILG spokesman Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, the localities can coordinate directly with the One Hospital Command Center located at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority which was created to facilitate a comprehensive and coordinated response to the pandemic by ensuring an efficient health facility referral in Metro Manila.

Malaya said that with the establishment of the OHCC, LGUs and individuals can now easily locate hospitals or isolation facilities near them.

The command center is open 24/7 and individuals needing treatment may call the OHCC hotlines at 0927-728-0750, 0927-728-0753, 0927-728-0755, and 0927-728-0798, the DILG said.

Individuals needing assistance from the OHCC may also download the PureForce Citizens App via Google Play Store or App Store, it added. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA News