DOH: No need to worry despite rising COVID-19 cases

The public should not be worried about the “minimal” rise in COVID-19 cases and reports that beds in several Metro Manila hospitals were now almost fully occupied because of the uptick in infections, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said Friday.

At a press conference, Herbosa explained that COVID-19 allocated beds in several hospitals were occupied because when the pandemic eased, many of these beds were transferred for the use of patients who have other diseases.

He noted that as of December 11, there was an occupancy rate of 16% in COVID-19 beds and 14% in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, percentages that were considered “low risk.”

“In our total statistics, it is still not as much higher compared to the similar months last year. Yes, there is a slight uptick. Yes, hospitals said that puno na ang COVID beds nila. Pero ang context noon, kumonti na ang COVID beds kasi [some hospitals said that their COVID beds are occupied, but that’s because there are fewer COVID beds],” Herbosa said.

DOH Undersecretary Eric Tayag said Thursday that allocated COVID-19 beds in the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Kidney Transplant Institute, and the Medical City are almost fully occupied amid an increase in coronavirus cases.

Despite this, Herbosa said the Department of Health (DOH) was not as worried today about COVID-19 as it was at the height of the pandemic, stressing that there were other diseases that they needed to monitor.

“We shouldn’t be worried about COVID-19 anymore because according to our infectious disease experts, the most recent variants of interest are just like the common cold… and flu. Upper respiratory infection lang siya unlike the earlier variety na nagkakaron ng severe pneumonia and they die in the ICU,” he said.

(These variants are just like upper respiratory infections, unlike the earlier variants that caused severe pneumonia and patients dying in the ICU.)

Herbosa also said that the DOH would not mandate the wearing of face masks anew, but encouraged people who have symptoms to refrain from going out and attending social gatherings.

He also explained that some hospitals, like the Philippine General Hospital, again required the wearing of face masks just to protect other patients, guests, and health workers from acquiring the virus on their premises.

With this, the Health Secretary advised the public to conduct a self-risk assessment now that the holiday season was upcoming.

Herbosa earlier urged the public to wear face masks amid increasing COVID-19 cases in the country. — DVM, GMA Integrated News