DOH says: Covid-19 beds in Bicol hospitals only 32% full

By Mar S. Arguelles

The Department of Health (DOH) in Bicol said on Monday, Aug. 9 that various government and private hospitals used as Covid-19 referral facilities have still sufficient beds to accommodate people who need hospitalization due to the coronavirus disease.

Edwin Aldrin Lumbo, Development Management Officer III of the Health Facility Development Unit of DOH Bicol, said the bed capacity of hospitals in the region is still adequate to provide the health care needs of Covid-19 patients having only a 32 percent utilization rate or 330 beds are occupied out of the 1,030 beds allocated for Covid-19 patients.

Lumbo said that 25 of the 45 overall bed capacity for the Intensive Care Units (ICU) are available, 294 of the 420 isolation beds or 70 percent are unoccupied, while only 60 of the 240 ward beds or 25 percent are presently utilized.

For the mechanical ventilators only 13 of the 36 ventilators are being used, Lumbo said.

Lumbo said bed capacity utilization are categorized into Moderate Risk status (60-69 percent utilization rate) High Risk (70 – 84 percent rate), and Critical status (85 percent and above).

For the three referral hospitals, the Bicol Medical Center (BMC) in Naga City with 450-bed capacity is running out of ICU beds and already on high-risk status, while its isolation and ward beds are still available. Only 60 percent of BMC’s mechanical ventilators are being used.

For the Bicol Region General Hospital and Geriatric Medical Center in Cabusao, Camarines Sur, two of the two ICU beds are occupied while 10 of the 62 Covid-19 isolation and ward beds are occupied, while 75 percent of its mechanical ventilators are being used.

In the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH) in Legazpi City, only 26 percent or 25 beds of the 96 Covid -19 beds are occupied.

On the status of Covid-19 patients, as of Aug. 8, DOH data said that of the 2,987 active cases, 35 percent were mild cases, 32 percent asymptomatic, 2.8 were severe and 0.31 percent were critical, while the mechanical ventilators are adequate with only 33 percent utilization.

In case of Covid-19 surge due to the Delta variant, the DOH said it has to activate its Covid-19 bed utilization plan where government referral hospitals can allocate additional beds on a 30-50 percent capacity ratio while for private hospitals they can add from 20 to 30 bed ratio.