THE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, October 18, 2021, said the healthcare utilization rate nationwide declined as cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continued to fall.
Citing data collated from all hospitals and the DOH local operating units across the country, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the total hospital bed utilization is low, although intensive care unit (ICU) utilization in some areas remain high.
“We know that severe and critical cases mostly stay long in the ICU. It’s 21 days at the minimum and it can even take longer. So it’s possible that we are able to decongest already the wards, but the ICUs are still a little bit full,” Vergeire said.
As of Monday, she said 171 health facilities nationwide were at critical risk, 87 at high risk, 109 at moderate risk and 844 at low risk.
Of the total ICU beds nationwide, 61.54 percent or 2,728 ICU beds are occupied.
For the regular beds, 46.14 percent or 9,731 isolation beds are occupied while 46.44 percent or 6,933 ward beds are in use.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), the occupancy rate in 159 health facilities was 43 percent.
Eight facilities in the NCR were still at critical risk, 10 at high risk and 8 facilities at moderate risk. The rest were within the safe zone.
Hospital admissions are among the factors considered by the DOH in determining the Covid-19 case trend in the country.
“We maintain our position that the cases are declining, but as we have been saying, this is not a reason for us to be complacent. The virus is still here. Even if the cases are declining, let us help each other so the cases will stay low,” Vergeire said. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines)