The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) expressed its concern on the possible increase in Covid-19 cases in the country following the easing of restrictions.

The country’s hospital utilization rate remains at low-risk at this point, said PHAPi President Dr. Jose Rene de Grano.

“But then, kapag tumaas po iyan ay iyon po ang pinangangambahan ng mga hospitals (in the event that cases increase, that's what hospitals fear),” he said during a public briefing on Friday, Oct. 26.

“Especially po iyong private hospitals, kasi po alam ninyo naman po, right now ay kulang tayo sa ating mga healthcare workers especially mga nurses po (the private hospitals, because you know that right now, we lack healthcare workers, especially nurses),” he added.

De Grano reminded the public that the threat of the coronavirus is still here, especially amid the voluntary use of face masks in outdoor and indoor spaces.

“Be responsible kasi siyempre kung talagang voluntary na po iyan, ang iniingatan po natin siyempre iyong mga highly vulnerable at saka with comorbidities (because of course if it's really voluntary, the ones we take care of are those who are highly vulnerable and also with comorbidities),” he said.

“Mataas pa rin po ang ating number ng cases, 20,000 plus pa rin iyong total active cases (Our number of cases is still high, the total active cases are still 20,000 plus),” he said.

The Department of Health (DOH) recently said that the country’s daily tally of cases may increase to as high as 18,000 amid the easing of face mask rule, presence of new coronavirus variants, and people’s increased mobility.