Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) — Metro Manila hospitals are now slowly allocating more beds for non-coronavirus patients as the region sees a decline in new COVID-19 cases, a health official said on Tuesday.
“‘Yung mga COVID beds or critical care beds allocated for COVID ay dahan-dahan naming shinift for the non-COVID para ma-cater naman iyong mga non-COVID patients,” Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said in a briefing.
[Translation: We are gradually shifting the allocation of beds, such as critical care beds, so we can cater to more non-COVID patients.]
During the surge in infections in April and May, Vega noted that nearly 55% of government hospital beds in the National Capital Region have been devoted to patients infected by the viral illness. Even so, several medical facilities announced during this time that they could no longer accommodate virus-hit patients.
With the situation in the area improving, the independent OCTA Research group on Monday reported that NCR’s hospital bed occupancy is at 36%, which is within the safe level.
However, while cases in the region are on a gradual downtrend, the Department of Health has cautioned against complacency, as it stressed the situation in Metro Manila remains “fragile.”
