The Department of Health (DOH) has urged individuals experiencing mild symptoms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to go to dedicated isolation facilities instead of hospitals.
The Health department said this is to "help free up space in hospitals for those who most need it."
In a statement on Tuesday, March 23, the DOH said treatment czar DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega is continuously conducting hospital visits to check on the statuses of different hospitals in the National Capital Region and ensure that they do not get overwhelmed.
"Sec. (Francisco) Duque has likewise given instruction that all the needs of NCR hospitals be identified in order to help them facilitate the expansion of their allocated COVID-19 bed capacities to 30 percent for private hospitals and 50 percent for public hospitals in accordance with the surge capacity allocation specified under DOH Administrative Order 2020-016-A," said the Health department.
The DOH on Tuesday recorded more than 5,800 new cases of COVID-19.
This brings the total number of COVID cases in the country to 677,653.