Region 1 Medical Center suspends outpatient services

DAGUPAN, Philippines — The Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) in this city will close its outpatient department (OPD) starting on Monday due to the overwhelming increase in COVID-19 cases.

“OPD services to patients will be catered through telemedicine consultation on Facebook via the R1MC E-pacheckup and R1MC outpatient department pages,” the hospital said in an advisory.

R1MC director Roland Mejia called on the public to observe minimum health protocols to prevent a surge in infections and avoid a worst-case scenario that could result in the hospital accommodating only COVID patients.

He said more hospital services and departments might be suspended.

If the situation worsens, Mejia said the hospital might become a full-time COVID hospital.

Pangasinan recorded 489 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the active infections to 2,069.

The provincial inter-agency task force on COVID-19 called on mayors of local government units, where 25 percent of barangays are under critical zone due to clustering of cases, to submit their request for stricter quarantine classification.

The provincial IATF had earlier identified seven towns and city which have ”crossed the critical zone.”

In Baguio City, a decline in the number of fatalities due to COVID has been recorded since the vaccine rollout in March.

City epidemiology surveillance unit chief Donnabel Tubera-Panes said 22 deaths were recorded yesterday compared to 87 in April.

As of Wednesday, 53 percent of the eligible population in Baguio or 131,090 residents have received their first dose. At least 93,199 people or 38.38 percent have been fully vaccinated.