By Emme Rose Santiagudo
More than half of dedicated isolation or quarantine facilities have already been occupied following the surge in repatriated locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Region 6.
Data from the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6) showed that the region has 213 temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) with a combined 5,007 bed-capacity as of June 26, 2020.
TTMFs are for persons either awaiting the results of COVID-19 tests or infected but asymptomatic (no symptoms).
Iloilo province has 109 facilities with 2,028 beds; Aklan with 23 facilities (309 beds); Antique with 50 facilities (143 beds); Capiz with 25 facilities (416 beds); Iloilo City with 6 facilities (138 beds); Negros Occidental with 12 facilities (986 beds); and Bacolod City with 23 facilities (987 beds).
According to Dr. Sophia Pulmones, head of the Local Health Support Division of DOH-CHD 6, more than half or 56 percent of the dedicated facilities for LGUs in the region have already been occupied by repatriates.
“Based on our records as of today, 2,973 beds or 56 percent of the total beds have already been occupied as of June 26,” Pulmones said in a virtual press briefing on Friday.
TTMFs or Ligtas COVID-19 Centers for suspect, probable, or mild, asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Region 6 numbered to 239, according to Pulmones.
The 239 facilities have a combined bed capacity of 3,119.
As of June 26, Pulmones said 1,089 (35 percent) of the total bed-capacity have been occupied.
Meanwhile, hospital beds and mechanical ventilators dedicated to moderate and severe Covid-19 cases in Region 6 remain sufficient, according to DOH-CHD 6.
Hospital beds dedicated to Covid-19 cases totaled to 627. These include isolation beds (462); ICU beds (62); and ward beds (103).
As of Tuesday, 92 percent of the ICU beds in the Region 6 are still available; 83 percent for isolation beds; 89 percent for ward beds; and 98 percent for mechanical ventilators.
“We still have enough bed space for moderate to severe COVID-19 cases,” Dr. Renilyn Reyes, head of Public Health Development, said in a press conference on Wednesday.
On Friday, DOH-CHD 6 recorded six new additional Covid-19 positive repatriates, bringing the infected repatriates in the region to 163 composed of 75 OFWs and 88 LSIS.
OFWs who returned to Western Visayas now numbered to 5,589 while LSIs totaled 16,379 as of June 23.
Authorities have temporarily stopped the repatriation of OFWs and LSIs from high-risk areas of the country, particularly from National Capital Region (NCR) and Cebu.
On Friday, Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque announced the departure of two 2Go passenger ships bound for Bacolod, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro.
According to Roque, this will be the last batch of LSIs that will be allowed to return to their respective hometowns.
“We further wish to state that this will be the last batch of LSIs that will be allowed to return to their respective hometowns until we subject them to real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. We ask the receiving local governments units to administer RT-PCR tests in their areas if possible; and subject the returnees to quarantine,” he said in a statement.
