Manila: Medical oxygen tank supply still high

MANILA, Philippines — Manila’s medical oxygen tank reserves remain high, the city government said yesterday, belying talk of a shortage.

As of Sept. 13, there were 1,305 medical oxygen tanks deployed in six city-run hospitals and COVID field hospitals, according to the Manila health department.

MHD data also showed that all seven hospitals used 344 medical oxygen tanks and had 411 empty ones.

In a statement, Mayor Isko Moreno asked the public not to fall for fake news on social media.

Moreno issued the statement after a photo of him went viral on social media, with the caption stating, “Basta from Visayas and Mindanao hindi puwede papasukin sa Maynila (If they are from Visayas and Mindanao, they cannot enter Manila).”

The city public information office posted the original caption of the Sept. 6 photo, which quoted Moreno as calling on the government to buy anti-COVID drugs remdesivir and tocilizumab, not face shields.

Moreno said he cannot make such a statement about people from the Visayas and Mindanao since his goal is to unite Filipinos during this pandemic.

He said the city government of Manila has distributed a total of 622 vials of tocilizumab in the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.