THE Davao City Covid-19 Task Force said on Wednesday, July 13 that the hospitalization rate remains low despite rising cases in Metro Manila.
Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said during a radio interview that this is mostly because Covid-19 cases remain low and majority of patients are home isolated while some are admitted to Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility (TTMF) due to the mildness of the cases.
The TTMF currently has a less than ten percent occupancy rate while the admission rate at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) is not alarming.
“Katong sa SPMC, approximately 90 percent ang atong utilization dira (In SPMC, the utilization rate is approximately 90 percent) because it’s not just Davao City patients, tanan na siya sa Davao region (it caters to anyone in Davao region),” Schlosser said.
She added the situation would only cause alarm if private hospitals start to run out of available beds for patients.
This follows after the Department of Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said the hospitalization rate might increase by August or September due to rising cases.
As of the moment, Schlosser said the Task Force and the local government unit (LGU) of Davao are preparing for more Covid-19 facilities including constructing Covid-19 Cluster Clinics (CCC) and TTMF per district.
“We are preparing for the worst all the time. Ingana man ang Davao City (That’s what Davao City does), we always prepare for the worst… However, if ang atong giconstruct na TTMF (if the TTMF we are constructing) is not enough, definitely, we will reactivate our previous strategies,” Schlosser said, referring to renting hotels and similar establishments to use as additional isolation facilities.
The spokesperson said the predicted influx of cases would only happen if Dabawenyos become complacent in following the minimum public health standards and wearing masks.
At the same time, Schlosser reiterates that being vaccinated with the primary and booster doses will help lessen recovery time if ever the individual contracts the coronavirus.
As of July 9, active Covid-19 cases in Davao City increased to 155 from 101 on July 2. Of the 155 cases, 94 are asymptomatic and 61 are mild.
On Wednesday, Schlosser reported 20 new cases. ICM