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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Villar: Enough isolation beds nationwide, but NCR occupancy rate nears 65 percent

Villar: Enough isolation beds nationwide, but NCR occupancy rate nears 65 percent

Published Mar 29, 2021 03:27 pm

The country has enough isolation beds for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, isolation czar and Department Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Sec. Mark A. Villar said over the weekend.

Villar gave this assurance ahead of the enforcement of an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal--collectively known as "NCR-plus"--from March 29 to April 4.

Despite this, the Cabinet official bared that the occupancy of beds in NCR-based quarantine facilities is now at 64.48 percent.

"A total of 3,708 beds from the 5,751 beds are occupied in Metro Manila. This is the reason why we are doing our best to fast-track remaining ongoing quarantine facilities, especially within the NCR bubble,” he said in a statement Sunday, March 28.

But the overall occupancy rate in the country presents a way better picture, according to Villar.

“Only 19,877 beds from our 131,517 total available isolation beds of existing Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMF) nationwide are utilized,” he said, or a rate of just 15.11 percent.

Among the Mega TTMFs with a high recorded number of bed occupancy rates for COVID-infected patients are the PICC Quarantine Facility with 223 out of 263 total beds used; Ultra Stadium, with 95 of 132 beds occupied; and Filinvest Tent, with 74 of 108 beds used.

The DPWH is now ramping up works on additional treatment facilities in the metropolis.

Ongoing projects closely being supervised by the DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of Local/National Health Facilities include the modular hospitals within Quezon Institute and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.

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