MANILA – The intensive care unit of the Philippine General Hospital, the country’s largest COVID-19 referral center, remains full, spokesperson Dr. Jonas del Rosario said.

This comes as the Department of Health (DOH) said that the ICU utilization rate in Metro Manila is now considered to be in the safe zone, having fallen below 60 percent.

The ICU bed utilization rate is now at 59 percent in Metro Manila, the DOH reported Monday.

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“For the ICU, unfortunately since our patients are quite sick, our ICUs remain to be full,” Del Rosario said on ANC’s “Rundown.”

“We’re 100 percent occupied, and most of the time the moment there is an opening a new patient has to be moved in to their ICU,” he added.

He noted, however, that bed utilization rates in other parts of the hospital are going down.

“But the utilization rate for the whole COVID hospital now is down to 60 percent. Which is pretty much in agreement to what’s being seen in other hospitals.”

“We do not have a long line anymore in our emergency rooms, even if they go through our ERs, they are readily accepted in a matter of 1-2 days into our wards,” he added.

“So right now we have close to 170 patients, confirmed COVID admitted to PGH, out of our 300 beds so that’s roughly about 60 percent. That’s a big improvement from, we used to be taking care of patients, about 300.”

“At one time we [had] about 350 patients, so we’re steadily seeing the decline of COVID admissions,” he said.

Del Rosario said he agrees with the COVID numbers presented by DOH.

“It seems like even though there are issues that sometimes there are some of the labs are not able to send their results, and sometimes maybe they’re not able to capture some of the hospital admissions but I think, pretty much I agree with what the numbers that they are showing.”

“It seems to be reflective even in PGH, so I think they’re pretty accurate and they have access to all of these hospitals and anyway,” he said.

Del Rosario said they still have a sufficient number of high-flow oxygen machines, ventilators, and medicines needed by COVID-19 patients.

“We pretty much have all the medicines except for this tocilizumab, which up to now we’re waiting to be available in the country. But other than that we’re okay,” he said.

He added, however, that they are in need of volunteer doctors.

“In terms of manpower, again since we’re taking care of less patients, we’re now able to cope, although we have been calling for volunteers for doctors to come in to PGH and help us in taking care of COVID patients so that other doctors can be freed up to take care of non-COVID patients.”

--ANC, 19 October 2021