Suspected COVID-19 patients lie in cars, tents, corridors at Cagayan Valley hospital

Patients suspected of having COVID-19 lie in folded beds in tents and corridors at a hospital in Cagayan Valley.

According to Jun Veneracion's report on "24 Oras" on Monday, some patients have to get oxygen supply from tanks placed beside their cars because the Cagayan Valley Medical Center is already at full capacity.

"Maghihintay ka talaga so baka mangyari 'yong nangyayari na nandoon lang sila sa loob ng sasakyan. 'Yan po kinakatakutan naming mangyari," Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said.

On Sunday, 12 patients died in the province due to COVID-19. Mamba said this was the highest number of fatalities in a day since the pandemic started.

"Ang nakakabahala kasi dito ay, of the nine deaths, isa lang ang namatay sa Cagayan Valley Medical Center and all others died somewhere. I think, most of these, pending ang details. Baka namayapa sa mga bahay bahay dahil naka-home quarantine," the governor said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) promised to help the hospitals in provinces struggling amid the new surge of COVID-19 cases.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said the DOH already coordinated with hospitals in Cagayan de Oro, Cagayan Province, and Cebu and urged them to increase their COVID-19 bed capacity.

He added that the department will send mechanical ventilators oxygen machines and more health care workers if needed.

Earlier, the DOH announced the Philippines is once again classified as a high-risk area for COVID-19 as cases nationwide rose by 47% in the last two weeks and the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread.

The DOH flagged Metro Manila, the Cordillera Region, and Regions 1, 2, 4A, 7, and 10 as high-risk areas due to their high average daily attack rate and moderate level two-week case growth rate.

The country has so far recorded 1,667,714 cases of COVID-19 including 1,560,106 recoveries and 29,128 deaths.—Ma. Angelica Garcia/LDF, GMA News