Close to 50 percent of all hospitals in Metro Manila are now considered “high risk” in terms of COVID-19 bed capacity as cases continue to rise, the Department of Health said Saturday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said only six cities in Metro Manila are at “moderate risk” with 60 to 70 percent bed capacity.
The rest, she said, were at over 70 percent capacity, which means they are classified as high-risk. A hospital utilization rate of 85 percent and above is considered critical.
“Almost half of our cities' bed utilization rate is more than 70 percent already. As for ICU utilization, we have at least six cities in Metro Manila that have a 60 percent ICU rate, while the rest have more than 70 percent so we are already trying to mitigate this,” Vergeire said.
Across the country, 74 percent of the 4,100 ICU beds intended for COVID-19 cases were utilized, the DOH said.
Of the 14,600 beds in COVID-19 wards nationwide, at least 70 percent were also occupied.
DOH data also showed that 55 percent of the entire country’s 3,200 ventilators are in use, while 61 percent of the 1,100 ventilators in Metro Manila are occupied.
According to Vergeire, more than 70 areas in the country are under Alert Level 4, which means the hospitals in these areas have more than 70 percent utilization rate.