Healthcare utilization of areas under Alert Level 4 exceeded 70% —DOH

Areas recently placed under Alert Level 4 were observed to be having a difficult time dealing with the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

“Nakikita natin na medyo nahihirapan na po ang mga lugar na ito [We see that these areas are struggling], that’s why the decision to escalate them compared to other areas,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a Palace briefing, referring to Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, and Northern Samar.

Vergeire said these areas have a healthcare utilization rate of over 70% and had allocated most of their bed capacity to COVID-19, unlike other areas that have only allocated less than 50% of their bed capacity.

“Kaya ito, binibigyan pa natin ng panahon ang ating mga local governments with less than 50% allocated beds for COVID-19 para mabigyan pa rin po ng mas maraming kama ang COVID-19 to better prepare,” Vergeire said.

(So we are giving time to our local governments with less than 50% allocated beds for COVID-19 to increase their bed allocation.)

Vergeire said all regional task forces and the regional directors of every agency have been directed to prepare their local governments.

“Dapat lahat po ng ospital, both public and private, should allocate at least 30% for private and 50% for the public of their hospital beds for COVID-19,” she said.

(Hospitals, both public and private, should allocate at least 30% for private and 50% for public of their hospital beds for COVID-19.)

She said hospitals must also stockpile needed medications.

Meanwhile, authorities must intensify community interventions as well as the prevention, detection, isolation, testing, and treatment strategy in communities.

“Panghuli at pinakaimportante, kailangan pataasin natin ang antas ng pagbabakuna sa lahat ng ating mga regions so that everybody can get protected. Nakita na po natin ang epekto ng bakuna, ang proteksyon nito laban sa COVID-19,” she said.

(Lastly and most importantly, we need to increase our vaccination so that everybody can be protected. We saw the effect of the vaccines and their protection against COVID-19.)

Vergeire said uniformed personnel have been deployed to augment the healthcare workforce in some hospitals in Metro Manila last week.

“Last week po nag umpisa na ang deployment sa ilang piling ospital sa Metro Manila pati na rin po sa ating local government units para makatulong po ang ating mga healthcare personnel ng uniformed sectors natin,” she said.

(The deployment began last week in selected hospitals in Metro Manila and local government units to help our healthcare personnel will be helped by our uniformed sector.)  —KBK, GMA News