BY JOSEPH PEDRAJAS
The intensive care unit dedicated for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients at the Lung Center of the Philippines has already reached its full capacity as of Wednesday.
Dr. Norberto Francisco, the facility’s spokesman, said that the isolation beds and the isolation wings of the Lung Center, which serve as the Department of Health’s referral center for severe and critical COVID-19 cases, are already fully occupied.
“The past two to three days, ang bilis napuno,” Francisco said.
Francisco said that the facility has a total of 250 bed capacity, but they had to reduce it to only 169 beds to properly isolate patients.
“Kung dati mayroon kaming malalaking kwarto na apat, walong kama na pwede mong ilagay, ngayon isa nalang pwede ilagay mo doon because they have to be isolated,” he explained.
Francisco attributed the spike of their COVID-19 cases in the country’s “expanded testing capacity” and the “faster turn around time” of laboratories processing test samples.
“Kaya mas nakakadiagnose tayo ngayon ng mga confirmed cases,” he said.
Francisco said that the Lung Center’s personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other equipment, such as ventilators, are enough for its patients.
But he expressed alarm that due to rising number of cases being brought, the facility’s medical workers have already resorted to attending to more patients than the ideal.
“Ideally, 1:2 the most. Pero siguro, napipilitan pa silang mag 1:3 or 1:4,” he said, adding that medical workers have also extended their shifts to 10 hours a day from supposed eight hours a day.
