While nine hospitals in Metro Manila and three provinces have reported reaching the maximum capacity for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, the Department of Health reported on the occupancy rate from the national level, saying that only 49 percent of the total number of beds in all hospitals around the country which are dedicated to COVID-19 patients are occupied as of July 14.

The DOH said that with the occupancy of the 49 percent of the whole country’s total number of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, the situation is known as the “warning zone.”

According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the “warning zone” means the “country’s health system is still operating on its normal capacity.”

“This means that the health system is not yet overwhelmed but this is a trigger point for us to provide appropriate measures to prepare for a higher demand in bed utilization,” Vergeire said.  

There are 14,945 COVID-19 dedicated beds in public and private hospitals in the country as of July 13. Forty-nine percent of these beds are currently occupied, according to DOH.

“Ang kasalukuyang supply natin ay mababa pa sa 30 percent na hinihingi ng DOH administrative order 2020-0016 para sa minimum health standards (The current supply of COVID-19 dedicated beds is still lower than the 30 percent required under the DOH administrative order for minimum health standards),” the undersecretary said.

The actual allocation for COVID-19 beds in hospitals in the country is at 14,945, about 17,000 short of the ideal 32,252 beds needed.

The nine hospitals in Metro Manila, Bataan, Laguna and Rizal provinces who reported full capacity as of July 14 are: University of Santo Tomas Hospital, F.Y. Manalo Medical Foundation, Inc., Bataan General Hospital And Medical Center, Qualimed Health Network Sta. Rosa, UPH-Dr. Jose G. Tamayo Medical University Foundation, Inc., Tricity Medical Center, Inc., Westlake Medical Center, Antipolo City Medical Hospital, and Ortigas Hospital and Healthcare Center, Inc. have already reached full capacity for COVID-19 patients, causing them to freeze momentarily their admission for such patients.

“Bagamat may mga ospital nang reported na nasa maximum capacity na ang kanilang COVID-19 dedicated beds, below 50 percent pa rin po ang ating occupancy on a national scale at sinisiguro po natin na hindi pa ito tataas (While there are reported hospitals reaching their maximum capacity on COVID-19 beds, our occupancy on a national scale is at below 50 percent and we are making sure that this won't go higher),” Vergeire said.

With this, the department has reiterated its call to private hospitals to convert 30 percent of their bed capacity into COVID-19-dedicated beds.