Manila Vice-Mayor Honey Lacuna said on Wednesday that all hospitals in the capital are now open for COVID-19 patients after several facilities announced that they are closing their doors due to a spike in cases.
Lacuna admitted to DZRH on Wednesday that while hospitals are getting filled with COVID-19 patients, most of them are mild and are being transferred to quarantine facilities to give more room for severe and critical patients in hospitals.
"Bukas naman po lahat ng ating mga ospital, pagka meron pong na-discharge, agad-agad naman po nating nag-aadmit po tayo ng panibagong mga kaso po ng COVID," she said.
(Our hospitals are open. If someone is discharged, we immediately admit a new case of COVID-19.)
Her statement came after the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center and the Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital temporarily previously suspended patient admissions after a spike in cases, with some of their healthcare workers also contracting the disease.
They said that they had to disinfect and transfer some patients to quarantine facilities before reopening their doors again.
Lacuna also said that the Sta. Ana Hospital is also getting crowded with new cases, but some of them are ready for discharge while some will be transferred to quarantine facilities.
"Hopefully po by today, makapag-admit po tayo ng mga pasyente," she said.
(Hopefully by today, we can admit new patients.)
The Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital also became busy over the past few days, according to the vice mayor, as it accommodated some returning overseas Filipino workers.
But now, Lacuna said it remains open and accepting to patients.
The country's capital has 990 active cases of COVID-19 as of January 4, according to the Manila Public Information Office, while it has fully vaccinated a total of 1.49 million.
