HAND WASHING AWARENESS, A woman washes her hands in a public hand wash area near a fire station in Marikina City after shopping at the city’s public market on Thursday (July 30, 2020). Public hand wash areas have been set up in support of the awareness campaign on the importance of washing one’s hands for 20 seconds as protection against Covid-19. (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)
MANILA -- Filipinos are urged anew to make it a habit to observe minimum health standards to avoid burdening the country's health care system and workers, amid the continuing increase of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections.
Doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners have been falling ill, increasing the burden on the health care system that is already grappling with the pandemic.
Total bed occupancy, meanwhile, is at 50 percent, accounting for both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 beds, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
As of July 28, some 4,691 health care workers have tested positive for Covid-19. About 57 percent or 3,534 have recovered, while 36, or 0.8 percent, have died.
Some 1,121, or 24 percent, are active cases -- 818 or 73 percent are mild cases, 301 or 27 percent are asymptomatic, and two or 0.2 percent are in severe condition.
"We would like to reiterate the government’s continuing need to augment human resource for health. The call for more health care workers is very evident," the DOH said in a statement Thursday.
To avoid burdening the health facilities, the health care workers, and the community, the department again reiterated its call for the public to wear face masks, wash hands regularly, and maintain safe physical distance.
"It is important to note that given the supply of hospital beds, mild and asymptomatic patients should be treated in Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMFs) and not in hospitals to ensure adequacy of hospital beds for patients," it said.
Data from the department show a total of 81,636 beds in the TTMFs with an overall occupancy of 24 percent, as of July 28.
The use of the TTMFs in the National Capital, Ilocos, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen regions are at 30 percent to 70 percent or in the warning zone.
The Mega-TTMFs, such as the Ultra Stadium, Quezon Institute, Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Philippine Arena, and ASEAN Convention Center, are in the danger zone, with an occupancy of more than 70 percent. (PNA)
