Patients treated in vehicles as Ospital ng Imus full; other hospitals also reach full capacity

Some patients arriving at Ospital ng Imus in Cavite are being assisted while they are inside their vehicles or even in public tricycles as the hospital's COVID-19 emergency room (ER) and ward are already full.

The hospital has temporarily stopped accepting patients with COVID-19, according to a report by Vonne Aquino on GMA News' Unang Balita on Monday.

Thirty of the hospital's personnel are still in quarantine after they tested positive for COVID-19.

Other hospitals have also reported they have reached full capacity.

Meanwhile, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City said its COVID-19 dedicated beds and intensive care unit are already full.

Patients waiting for the results of their COVID-19 tests are in the ER together with non-COVID patients.

The NKTI said they are also transferring some patients to other hospitals. 

The hospital said its dialysis schedule is already full, as well as slots for modular hemodialysis.

NKTI executive director Dr. Rose Liquete said they currently lack nurses.

The hospital advised non-COVID patients to have teleconsultation with doctors first before going to hospitals.

It also advised COVID-19 patients to coordinate first with their local government units and the One Hospital Command Center as to which hospital or facility they could be referred to.

NKTI said their supply of tocilizumab which is used to treat COVID-19 ran out the past three days.

The hospital still has a supply of remdesivir which is also used in the treatment of COVID-19. However, NKTI said this may also run out as their COVID-19 admissions rise. Currently, NKTI has 133 COVID-19 patients admitted.

At the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, the supply of remdesivir is also running low.

"Pinakamahaba na nakikita namin na hindi humuhupa ang bilang ng mga kaso na pumupunta sa ospital. Medyo nafi-feel na natin 'yung mga out of stock ng  remdesivir although meron  pa namang nakukuha pero (pahirapan)," Dr. Rontgene Solante, infectious disease specialist at San Lazaro Hospital, said.

(This is the longest period of time that we see that the number of [COVID-19] cases arriving at the hospital is not going down. We are already starting to feel the [lack of supply] of remdesivir as it is out of stock, although we could still find some with much effort.)

Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPi) president Dr. Jose Rene de Grano said the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases has affected the supply of oxygen, mechanical ventilators and medicines.

Some hospitals in Regions 3 and 4, aside from Metro Manila, have also reached full capacity, he said.

De Grano said a lot of healthcare workers have also contracted COVID-19.

PHAPi advised those with moderate and asymptomatic COVID-19 to go to isolation facilities or undergo home care with teleconsultations with doctors, unless the case is an emergency.

The Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City meanwhile said its COVID-dedicated beds are already 96% occupied.

This means out of the 164 COVID-dedicated beds at LCP, 157 are already occupied.

The hospital's occupancy rate at the intensive care unit meanwhile is already at 97%. 

The Department of Health reported 20,019 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the country's total tally to 2,080,984.

Active cases totaled 157,438, while recoveries numbered 1,889,312.

The death toll rose to 34,234 with 173 new fatalities. —KG, GMA News