‘WARNING ZONE’: Number of isolation beds for repatriates reach critical point

The number of isolation beds prepared by local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas for repatriates have reached the “warning zone” as 30 to 70 percent of the beds are already occupied, the Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD 6) reported on Thursday.

In Western Visayas, Iloilo City reached the “danger zone” for the occupancy rate of its isolation beds in dedicated temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) for repatriates, according to Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te, medical coordinator for emerging and reemerging infectious diseases of DOH-CHD 6.

As of July 15, 2020, Te said all 16 beds have been occupied.

“In Iloilo City, all the 16 beds are occupied, there are no available beds so it has reached the danger zone. But these are only for the TTMFs prepared by the LGU,” she told Daily Guardian.

The isolation beds are meant for stranded residents and overseas workers who return to Western Visayas. They will stay in the TTMFs until their COVID-19 test results are released.

But with thousands of specimens still pending, some of the repatriates exceeded the 14-day quarantine period while waiting for their results.

The problem is compounded by the resumption of reparations on July 16.

Te said that hotels prepared by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are not included in their tally.

Except for Iloilo province and Guimaras, all other highly urbanized cities (HUCs) and provinces in Western Visayas are already on the “warning stage” in terms of occupancy rate.

Bacolod City has 625 occupied beds and 605 available beds for repatriates, according to Te.

Capiz has also reached the warning zone with 283 beds occupied and 156 available beds; Antique with 83 beds occupied and 101 available (warning zone); Aklan with 122 beds occupied, 143 available beds (warning zone); Negros Occidental with 523 occupied beds, 780 available (warning zone).

Based on data from DOH-CHD 6, Iloilo province is still on the safe zone with 465 beds occupied and 1,771 available beds.

According to the DOH, isolation facilities are in the “safe zone” if zero to 30 percent of the facilities are used, “warning zone” if 30 to 70 percent are used, and “danger zone” if 70 to 100 percent has already been utilized.

Te said the increasing occupancy rate in the region is also influenced by several factors.
One is the home quarantine agreement with LGUs where locally stranded individuals (LSIs) will only be subjected to home quarantine as long as they meet certain requirements.

The qualifications include a separate room for the LSI once under home quarantine; separate toilet for the LSI; no vulnerable population such as young and old, pregnant women, and those with underlying medical conditions staying in the house while he/she is observing home quarantine; and the LSI must submit himself/herself to the regular monitoring of the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs).

According to Te, the increasing number of occupied isolation beds is also a good indication that the LGUs are utilizing the TTMFs.

“It can be a good indication that the LGUs are utilizing the TTMFs,” she furthered.

She assured that the region still has available beds for the next batch of returning repatriates.

In sum, Te said TTMFs dedicated to locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the region totaled to 213 TTMFs with 5,674 available beds, as of July 15.

Out of this number, 2,118 beds are occupied and 3,556 are still available.

In terms of TTMFs for mild, suspect, probable cases of Covid-19 in the region, DOH-CHD 6 said that enough beds remain available.

TTMFs dedicated for Covid-19 cases numbered to 303 facilities which can cater up to 6,522 bed-capacity as of July 15, 2020, according to Te.

A total of 2,167 beds are occupied with 4,355 available beds.

COVID-19 cases in the region spiked to 716 on Thursday with 359 active cases; 345 recoveries; and 12 deaths.

More than half of the total cases or 537 are repatriates wherein 257 are under facility quarantine, eight are under home quarantine, 25 are admitted in a health facility, 246 discharged with negative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results and one death. (ERS)