Private hospitals in Calabarzon and Mimaropa, or regions around Metro Manila, are also filling up due to the increase in COVID-19 cases.
In an interview with TeleRadyo, Private Hospitals Association Philippines (PHAP) President Dr. Jose Rene de Grano that since there are no more hospitals available in Metro Manila, patients are reaching region 4 in search of a hospital.
“Talaga pong medyo nao-overwhelm na po ang ating private hospitals. Kahapon lang po ilan ang tumatawag sa akin at pinaghahanap kami ng hospitals. Karamihan po puno na po ang (Metro) Manila, pumupunta po kami sa Region 4. Pagpunta sa Region 4, ganun din ang nakapila sa mga ER, may 15-20 [pasyente] sa malalaking ospital,” said De Grano.
De Grano, on the other hand, encouraged asymptomatic patients to go home quarantine only if they have their own room and CR because even the isolation facilities of local governments will be filled.
“Pag ganoon po, kailangan may magdadala sa inyo ng pagkain at gamot. Kailangan namo-monitor kayo ng doktor kung ano ang nangyayari para pag grumabe ang sintomas ma-transfer kayo sa ospital,” said De Grano.
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Private hospitals around Metro Manila also filling up
In a separate interview, testing czar Vince Dizon said a facility with 110 bed capacity for patients with severe COVID-19 at the Quezon Institute will open on Tuesday.
He said the Philippine Red Cross and Ateneo de Manila University are also building facilities.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) admitted on Monday that they were caught off guard by the new COVID-19 surge in March or a year after the first lockdown of the pandemic.
According to DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing, although the government is ready, it did not expect the severity of the COVID-19 surge, where more than 10,000 people test positive for the disease every day.
The official added that the public seems to have put aside the pandemic when the conversation about the vaccine started.
“There was really a complacency especially during the time we talked about vaccine. Everyone was so complacent that the spread came in even before we opened up the economy.”