The Philippine General Hospital said it has been admitting more COVID-19 patients, most of whom had comorbidities, in its facilities over the past week.
PGH spokesman Dr. Jonas del Rosario said from only 10 patients last week, they now have 60 admitted patients.
“Most are vaccinated, but have no boosters. Some of them are unvaccinated,” he said.
“We will be forced to convert more beds into COVID beds or rooms for COVID patients if needed,” Del Rosario added.
The Philippine Heart Center, on the other hand, said its “no visitor policy” is aimed at preventing the spread of the virus among patients and medical workers.
“This will be done in order to prevent the spread of the disease among its clients, healthcare workers, support personnel; and to maintain full service delivery to its patients. We appeal for your understanding, and we apologize for any inconveniences that may arise,” read the notice on its website.
On Wednesday, Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI) president Dr. Jose Rene de Grano said the number of admissions of COVID-19 cases among its members has increased in the last three days.
The areas where private hospitals have an increased number of COVID-19 admissions include the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, and Davao Region, he said.
Earlier, the Department of Health reported that the utilization rate of COVID-19 space in hospitals was around 20 percent.
But PHAPI said that rate is anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent now.