MIDCC gets 22 additional rooms amid rising number of COVID-19 cases
By Minka Klaudia Tiangco
The Manila Infectious Disease Control Center (MIDCC) will be extended with 22 additional rooms as the country grapples with the rising number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, the city mayor said.
Although hospitals in Manila can still accommodate COVID-19 patients, Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said they decided to extend the MIDCC to remain “one step ahead” in the preparations for the fight against the disease.
“We’re trying to cope with the challenges and we’re trying to be (one step) ahead of COVID-19,” he said in his city address Thursday evening.
“Hindi man ngayon kakailanganin, baka dumating ang araw o linggo na gagamitin ito (Although the rooms may not be used right now, there may come a time when they will be needed),” he added.
Currently, there are 14 available rooms in the MIDCC. The local chief executive also said that five out of six district hospitals in Manila are preparing additional isolation wards for COVID-19 patients.
The MIDCC, an isolation ward that formally opened on Tuesday, is located at the 10th floor of the Sta. Ana Hospital. Six hospital physicians, who are experts on infectious diseases, were pooled to staff the MIDCC.
Thirteen new COVID-19 cases were reported by the Department of Health on Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 230, with 18 deaths and 8 recoveries.
President Duterte placed Luzon under enhanced community quarantine from March 17 to April 12 in a bid to contain the spread of the disease.
