Although there has been an increase in the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the country, the Department of Health said the healthcare utilization is still at the manageable level.
"When you look at the healthcare utilization we are still at that manageable level. We still have almost 50 percent that can accommodate patients," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual forum Monday, March 8.
This amid reports that hospitals are once again being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.
"We checked and went around and saw an increase in the number of people in the emergency room, the suspects or those who have symptoms of COVID, but to say the system is overwhelmed, no," said Vergeire.
As to the projection of OCTA, that the country could see 5,000 to 6,000 new COVID-19 cases a day by the end of March if the current trend continues, she said these projections may or may not happen.
"These are all projections. Like we always say, these projections may or may not happen. These projections might have some factors that would be different from how the DOH would be also looking at matters," Vergeire said.
"We have our own projections with our Epidemiology Bureau. I just cannot disclose the numbers because our study is continuing for this forecast," she added.