Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 29) — The Department of Health (DOH) said hospitals are now under white alert status just days before the country ushers in the new year.
“Ang atin pong alert level ngayon sa lahat ng ospital — and that is a specific instruction, ginagawa natin taon-taon — naka-code white tayo lahat ngayon,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media forum on Thursday.
[Translation: The alert level in all hospitals now — and this is a specific instruction we do every year — is code white],” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media forum on Thursday.
“Ibig sabihin (This means) all are instructed to prepare, all are instructed to have a special team to address the concerns of those people going to hospitals with injuries related to firecrackers,” she added.
Vergeire also said hospitals have been instructed to prepare to receive not only patients who have injuries related to fireworks and firecrackers, but also those with ingestion concerns and possible stray bullet cases.
From Dec. 21 to 29, the DOH said 36 fireworks-related injuries were recorded, with four new ones logged from Dec. 28 to 29. This number is 44% higher compared to the same period in 2021.
The DOH also said it would not impose restrictions on the use of horns or “torotot” as in previous years, but advise the public not to share them to avoid the possibility of spreading disease.
