Four more government-built isolation facilities can soon accommodate more than 700 coronavirus patients.
The government is set to open the newly-built isolation facilities located in Subic, New Clark City, Manila, and Bataan this week, according to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque.
Roque said the isolation facility in Subic Manila Times Colleges has a 300-bed capacity while a government building within the New Clark City could accommodate an additional 165 beds.
An isolation facility built within the Eva Macapagal Terminal Manila has a 200-bed capacity while the temporary facility at the Orion Bataan Port Terminal will have 100 beds.
On top of these four isolation centers, Roque cited that a modular hospital within the Quezon Institute has already been built by the government. The facility, that offers 110 beds for moderate and serious coronavirus cases, is expected to be formaformally opened Tuesday.
The construction of additional temporary health facilities is part of the government's intensified drive to address the country's soaring cases of coronavirus infections. Several hospitals in Metro Manila have declared full capacity for COVID-19 cases, prompting some patients to get treatment outside the capital region.
Roque earlier said the government decided to build "mobile hospitals" or temporary facilities to help isolate and provide care to people infected with the coronavirus.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar has admitted that the bed occupancy in quarantine facilities in Metro Manila has reached 75 percent. More quarantine and intensive care unit (ICU) facile will be built to accommodate patients, Villar assured the public.
With the surging cases of infections, President Duterte has also directed the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to expand the health coverage for coronavirus patients to ease their medical expenses.
Duterte wanted PhilHealth to cover the cost of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, isolation in accredited community isolation units, and hospitalization of midl and critical cases, according to Roque.
PhilHealth must also cover the expenses of patients receiving care from temporary tents outside hospitals, Roque added.