Covid-19 hospital facilities in Cebu at critical level – DOH
MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) is now finding ways to help hospitals in Cebu island as many are reaching “critical level” amid the rise in coronavirus disease 2019, or Covid-19, cases there.
“Cebu has reached their critical level already since last week. Kaya talagang binabantayan, binibigyan ng suporta (That is why we are monitoring them, giving them support),” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a briefing yesterday morning.
Vergeire said the hospitals there have reached more than 80 percent occupancy in terms of isolation beds and intensive care units.
“Napababa ng konti although nasa critical level pa rin,” she said.
(They were able to bring down the numbers but it’s still in the critical level.)
More than a week ago, Vergeire said Covid-19 hospital facilities in Cebu were already in the “warning zone.” She said critical level means having facilities occupied by at least 70 percent.
Cebu province and Cebu City are among the country’s emerging Covid-19 hotspots with many new cases recorded in these areas.
“So we had to enforce the community quarantine that was most strict para their health system makahinga… para mas makapag-prepare sila even when magtuloytuloy ang surge ng kaso,” Vergeire said.
(So we had to enforce the community quarantine that was most strict so their health system can adjust… and they can prepare in case the surge of cases continues.)
Cebu City was placed back under the enhanced community quarantine, a strict lockdown level, on June 16 after two weeks of general quarantine because of the continued rise in cases from the area.
It is the only city under such quarantine level, with the rest of the country under looser restrictions.
Based on the Covid-19 tracker website of the DOH, bed occupancy in Cebu province has already reached 75.1 percent as of June 30. Of the 60 facilities in the province, 19 are already in the danger zone or critical level and nine are in the warning zone.