Philippine College of Physicians Vice President Dr. Maricar Limpin asked the government Friday to place Metro Manila under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), even just for two weeks so that health workers could recover from exhaustion due to surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Ang gusto natin ay magkaroon muna tayo ng breather kasi kung mapapnsin ninyo, magmula nang nag-relax tayo ng community quarantine from ECQ to modified, doon nag-umpisa na umakyat ang dami ng nagkakaroon ng COVID-19,” Limpin said in an interview on Dobol B sa Dobol B.
“Nakakapagod na. It’s time to really put a stop doon sa pag-spread ng infection. I know ang gobyerno natin nag-iisip kung papaano ang economy pero ano ang gagawin natin sa economy kung unti-unti namang nagkakasakit at namamatay ang mga Pilipino?” she added.
President Rodrigo Duterte announced Friday morning that Metro Manila and other areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases would remain under the general community quarantine (GCQ).
Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Minglanilla and Consolacion towns in Cebu province, and Zamboanga City would also remain under HCQ, while the rest of the country is under a modified GCQ.
Aside from physical exhaustion, Limpin said many hospital workers are also experiencing depression.
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As of July 31, the Philippines recorded a total of 89,374 COVID-19 cases, with 3,954 new cases, the highest single-day infections reported since the virus outbreak started in the country.
The increase in cases is already overwhelming hospitals in Metro Manila, with beds allocated to COVID-19 cases reaching “danger zone.”
“Itong numbers na ito, these are not lying. ‘Yang numerong’ yan, nararamdaman namin dito sa ospital,” said Limpin, also a pulmonologist and critical care expert at the Philippine Heart Center.
“Hindi lang pagod ang pinag-uusapan natin dito. It’s also depression, nade-depress na kami. Imagine, inaalagaan namin ang mga pasyente pagkatapos nakikita namin nag-iimprove tapos all of a sudden magkakaroon ng problema biglang mamamatay,” she added.
Lampin hopes the Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and the government would listen to their call of putting Metro Manila in ECQ again so they could take a break.
“Ang ospital ho dapat ang the last line of defense pero kung ‘yung last line of defense ay bibigay, ibig sabihin wala ho tayong panalo rito,” she said.