Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 16) — The majority of children admitted at the Philippine General Hospital due to severe COVID-19 recover from the disease, the hospital’s spokesperson said Monday.
PGH spokesperson Dr. Jonas Del Rosario told CNN Philippines’ Balitaan that there are currently ten children confined at the PGH, with a third of them experiencing severe infection.
“Although they are critically ill, most of them, they recover,” the hospital official said.
Earlier, Del Rosario said children being rushed to the PGH were “sicker” compared to past admissions.
“When we mean sicker, most have severe pneumonia and need to be intubated,” he previously told The Source, adding that some of the cases have underlying comorbidities and are more vulnerable to the virus.
The PGH was also forced to limit its non-COVID patients to “real emergencies,” as it stopped accepting patients not infected with the disease.
RELATED: PGH temporarily halts accepting non-COVID-19 patients
Amid the rising cases, Del Rosario said the PGH is increasing its bed capacity. But with the expansion, the official said they need to boost the hospital’s manpower.
Currently, there are 265 adult patients admitted at the PGH, 70% of whom were not vaccinated against the virus.
Del Rosario also noted that 70% of PGH’s ICU patients are unvaccinated.
