DOH: Some areas in 6 regions have increasing COVID-19 cases

Certain areas in six regions are seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospital occupancy, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

In a television interview, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said increases have been observed in Regions 4B, 6, 1, 10, 11, and Caraga.

“We have identified now six regions where there is this increase in the number of cases and their healthcare utilization is nearing the high-risk level so we are now closely monitoring these regions,” she said in an interview on CNN Philippines.

“Within these specific regions, there are these specific provinces that are having higher cases but not really the whole of that region,” she later clarified.

In a DOH briefing, Vergeire said Region 7 was also among the areas that posted a positive case growth rate. Meanwhile, Region 2 had the highest average daily attack rate at 8.8 cases per 100,000 population, followed by the Cordillera region at 8.4, and Metro Manila at 8.1.

She attributed the spike in cases to increased mobility, relaxed adherence to health protocols, transmission of new coronavirus variants, and delays in isolating COVID-19 cases.

The DOH earlier flagged an increase in infections in the Visayas and Mindanao. 

Vergeire said the DOH has ordered health authorities in the six regions “to map out the needs of all these facilities so that they can expand the ICU beds.”

“Specifically, in Mindanao, there are few or there are minimal ICU beds allocated for COVID-19 because they have few facilities compared to the NCR. This is one of the things that we have to focus on,” she said.

Vergeire also said hospitals are mandated to increase their capacity by 30% to 50% when there is a surge in cases.

“But of course we understand that some of the hospitals would have difficulties or challenges because these are small hospitals or sometimes their resources are not enough. We are now assisting them so that we can better expand the capacity,” she said.

Vergeire added there are plans to set up modular hospitals and additional temporary treatment and monitoring facilities to decongest healthcare facilities.

The Philippines has 53,757 active COVID-19 cases after recording 7,058 new infections on Sunday afternoon, the third straight day in which new cases breached 7,000. — RSJ/KG, GMA News