DOH: Nearly 50% of hospital admissions are mild, asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said it is working to decongest hospitals as it noted that almost half of admitted patients are mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said teams have been deployed to inspect hospitals’ compliance with the directive to allocate 30% to 50% of beds for COVID-19 patients.

“Based on the assessment done… almost 50% of those admitted to our hospitals are mild and asymptomatic,” she said in a briefing. “One of the strategies will be for us to identify facilities where we can transfer asymptomatic and mild patients.”

Vergeire said the Department of Public Works and Highways had vowed to establish new temporary treatment and monitoring facilities “in two weeks’ time.”

Isolation czar Secretary Mark Villar earlier said quarantine facilities were 50% occupied in Metro Manila and 16% full nationwide. 

Vergeire also said the DOH is addressing hospitals’ need for more health workers amid a surge in cases.

“Our hiring of healthcare workers never stopped… We continue to do that as more resources are needed, especially at this time,” she said.

Drug inventory

Meanwhile, Vergeire explained that there is no constant supply of drugs like remdesivir and tocilizumab, both of which are being used on COVID-19 patients.

“All of these are being used out of the compassionate special permit… meaning they’re used at the discretion of doctors and they will be held accountable for the outcomes of their patients,” she said.

The posts of some health workers have made rounds on social media for revealing that they are experiencing a shortage of the said drugs as well as nasal cannulas, among other things.

“We spoke with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) yesterday and we’ve also sought help from the private sector to connect hospitals to suppliers,” Vergeire said.

The Philippines has 677,653 infections with 578,461 recoveries and 12,992 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon. — RSJ, GMA News