St. Luke's BGC, Quezon City at full capacity for COVID-19 patients
MANILA, Philippines — St. Luke's Medical Center can no longer take in coronavirus patients in its Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City hospitals, it announced Sunday as it urged those in need of immediate treatment to try other hospitals.
In late March, the hospital began requiring all patients and their companions to get tested for COVID-19 before admission in response to the new spike in cases in the country.
"All designated COVID wards and ICU units have reached full capacity with several critical patients in waiting at the emergency room," SLMC said in a Facebook post Sunday morning.
"As much as we would want to accommodate all COVID-19 patients seeking treatment and care, we request those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and in need of immediate treatment to consider other healthcare institutions at this time."
Health officials recorded 11,101 additional COVID-19 infections Saturday afternoon, bringing the national caseload to 926,052.
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The 203,710 active cases also set a record high for the second day in a row in the Philippines, which has been on lockdown for 397 days—the longest quarantine in the world.
"Rest assured that we will keep the public updated. But for now, we highly encourage everyone to strictly observe health and safety protocols to help prevent the ghastly spread of COVID-19 in the community," the hospital also said.
The Department of Health requires hospitals to allocate at least 30% of beds for coronavirus patients. Some patients have had to go to hospitals outside the capital while others have died while waiting in line for a bed.
Quezon City Mayor Belmonte said at a press briefing Thursday that additional beds will be placed in the city-run hospitals Quezon City General Hospital, Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital, and the Novaliches Government Hospital to accommodate moderate to severe cases.
— Franco Luna
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