PH becomes Covid epicenter in SEAsia
THE Philippines is now the Southeast Asian epicenter for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), recording 3,561 new cases on Thursday for a 119,460 total case count.
The country has overtaken Indonesia, which has 118,753 Covid-19 cases.
Data from 89 out of 98 laboratories compiled by the Department of Health
(DoH) showed 2,023 fresh cases and 1,538 late ones that had been validated, while 2,740 new cases were tallied from July 24 to August 6.
Metro Manila remained the Covid- 19 hotspot with 2,041 cases, followed by Laguna, Cebu, Cavite and Rizal.
The DoH reported that 569 patients recovered, bringing the total to 66,837, while 28 patients have been added to the death toll, which stands at 2,150.
The total number of cases of coronavirus across the globe is nearing 18.6 million, with more than 701,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
One strategy that could boost the country’s Covid- 19 response is setting up a network of One Hospital Command (OHC) Centers nationwide to enhance coordination among hospitals and treatment centers for coronavirus patients.
One such facility was opened Thursday at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority gymnasium in Makati City.
The OHC Center is designed to be a seamless integration of hospital care delivery systems,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said.
Treatment Czar and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said all hospital directors in Metro Manila agreed to transfer moderate and severe cases rather than queue them up in a room where mortality rates are high.
Vega added that the center would look out at other networks in different regions to make sure that patients would be given clinical treatment.
“It is really all about coordinated care” Vega said.
Dr. Bernadette Velasco, the operations head of the OHC Center, said “we will be able to allocate beds and prioritize Covid-19 cases according to their needs.”
The public can reach out to the OHC Center through the PureForce Citizens App that can be downloaded from different smartphone app stores, or by calling 02-8865 0500, 0919-9773333 or 0915-777-7777.
At a press briefing during the OHC facility in Makati Thursday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is also chairman of the National Task Force Covid-19 (NTF), stressed the need to open similar centers after several patients were turned away by hospitals that are almost at full capacity.
Lorenzana recalled the time when officials of NTF received calls from patients who were crying because no hospital wanted to admit them.
The situation reached a point where medical frontliners appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to give them time to rest because hospitals were being overwhelmed by the number of Covid patients.
“This is a good thing actually because we can avoid scenarios where patients cannot go to hospitals,” Lorenzana said, adding that the command center will be accessible 24/7.
Lorenzana also assured that he would deploy troops if necessary.
The Covid-19 task force is also considering building isolation facilities for workers in industrial parks.
The task force met with local government officials in Laguna to discuss how to check the spread of the virus not only in the province but also in Bulacan, Cavite and Metro Manila, where a modified enhanced community quarantine has been reimposed.
NTF’s chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said at least five Coordinated Operations to Defeat Pandemic teams will be mobilized to make regular visits to local government units.
Vega also revealed that the country’s first integrated Covid-19 facility at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City would be operational by August 17, and that the Quirino Memorial Medical Center would open within the month.
A modular hospital will be built in the Quezon Institute for moderate and severe cases, Vega added.