CRITICAL LEVEL. The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City, the major referral hospital in the region. The Department of Health (DOH) said hospitals in Eastern Visayas are already at a critical level due to rising new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the past days. (EVRMC photo)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) said hospitals in Eastern Visayas are already at a critical level due to the rise in new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the past few days.
As of Sunday, there are already 76 pending requests for admission from Covid-19 patients in six provinces. The region has 36 hospitals with beds dedicated to the treatment of coronavirus infections.
“This gives an undeniable manifestation that the hospitals in the region are already at a critical level, especially the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), the major Covid-19 referral hospital in the region,” the DOH said in a statement.
Among the fully-booked hospitals are EVRMC in this city; Schistosomiasis Hospital in Palo, Leyte; Leyte Provincial Hospital in Palo town; and the Divine Word Hospital in the city as reported by the region’s one hospital command.
Over the weekend, the region saw a record number of new infections, raising the total number of patients to 27,125, including 23,609 recoveries, and 365 deaths. There are still 3,151 active cases as of Sunday.
Some 712 new cases were reported on Sunday, surpassing the record of 606 new cases on Saturday. These are the highest single-day number of infections recorded in the region since the start of the pandemic last year.
“This current wave of cases in the region is still attributed to super spreader events like birthday parties, reunions, and gatherings that tend to put together a crowd of people,” the DOH stated.
The DOH has always been consistent in its advocacy in reminding the public that large gatherings can be a source of Covid-19 transmission.
“The fleeting joy and celebration that the public is hopeful about when they meet in social gatherings may cause a dreadful ending for others, especially the vulnerable groups,” the DOH added.
The region's death rate for this year is also significantly higher than last year's figure. Out of the 363 deaths, 209 or 57.5 percent were recorded in 2021. The region also listed 282 hotspot villages or those with a total of three or more cases for the last two weeks.
The health department also reminded all local government units to mobilize and strengthen their vaccination drive to curb the spike of cases. (PNA)
