DOH: 74% of Philippine COVID-19 ICU beds occupied as of August 28

Around 74% of the 4,100 intensive care unit beds intended for COVID-19 cases across the country were occupied as of Saturday, August 28, the Department of Health reported.

In its daily case bulletin, the DOH also said that 73% of the 1,400 ICU beds in the National Capital Region were also being used.

The DOH data also indicated that 70% of the 14,600 beds in COVID-19 wards nationwide are filled with patients.

The 4,200 beds in the COVID-19 wards in Metro Manila are 73% occupied.

The occupancy rates nationwide and in the NCR are considered “high risk” as it is more than 70% but less than 85%.

A facility is classified as critical if the bed utilization rate is more than 85%, while an occupancy rate between 60% to 69% is considered moderate.

Moreover, the DOH data also showed that 55% of the entire country’s 3,200 ventilators are currently in use, while 61% of the 1,100 ventilators in the NCR are occupied.

The Philippines on Saturday reported a new all-time high record of 19,441 fresh COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide tally to 1,935,700.

Alert Level 4

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday that the COVID-19 bed capacity of almost half of the cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) have reached a “high risk” status amid the continued rise in new cases.

Interviewed on Laging Handa, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire disclosed that “in NCR, utilization of almost 50% of our cities ‘yung bed utilization nila nasa more than 70% (their bed utilization is more than 70%).”

“Sa ating ICU utilization, meron na lang tayong anim na cities dito sa Metro Manila na 60% plus ang kanilang ICU utilization, the rest are more than 70%,” Vergeire said.

(In terms of ICU utilization, we only have six cities in Metro Manila that have more than 60% ICU utilization, the rest have more than 70%.)

To augment the capacity, Vergeire said the government is putting up tents and modular hospitals to accommodate more patients.

Vergeire added that more than 70 areas in the country are under Alert Level 4.

“Ang ibig sabihin ng Alert Level 4 patuloy na tumataas ang kanilang mga kaso at ang mga ospital ay more than 70% utilization na,” she said.

(Alert level 4 means cases continue to rise while hospitals have more than 70% utilization.)

“We expect the number of cases will continue to increase in the coming days,” she added. — Ted Cordero/DVM/MDM, GMA News