BETTER Covid-19 case management has contributed to the improvement in the critical care utilization rate (CCUR) of private hospitals in Cebu, a Department of Health (DOH) 7 official said.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH 7 spokesperson, said the CCUR of private hospitals in Cebu was 35.8 percent as of Friday, March 26, 2021.
This is way below the 60 percent threshold or is still very much within the safe zone, she said on Sunday, March 28.
Loreche said of the 865 allocated beds for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients, only 310 are in use, leaving a total of 555 beds still available.
“That’s why the CCUR is down as hospitals are now mostly for moderate to critically ill or if mild but with comorbidities,” she told SunStar Cebu in a text message on Sunday.
The CCUR refers to the number of regular and intensive care unit beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients and isolation beds and ventilators in use in various Covid-19 facilities.
As of Saturday, March 27, Central Visayas’ current active cases stood at 6,053 after it recorded an additional 378 cases on the same day.
Cebu City, which also has the highest population in the region, logged the highest number of active cases at 1,908, followed by Cebu Province at 1,577 and Lapu-Lapu City at 1,076 cases.
Mandaue City came next with 991 cases, followed by Bohol with 397, Negros Oriental with 96 and Siquijor with eight active cases.
Active cases in Cebu City have dipped below the 2,000-mark unlike the same day in February, when the city had over 2,900 active cases.
According to DOH 7 data, Cebu City has a total of 21,268 Covid-19 cases, with 18,556 recoveries and 804 mortalities.
The City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) said 9.76 percent of the 216,233 individuals who were tested since March last year have tested positive.
It is also noted 1,324 beds are available in isolation facilities in the city.
In the New Normal Oasis for Adaptation and a Home Complex, 311 beds are available, while 139 are occupied. In the IC3 Bayanihan Center, 121 beds are available while nine are occupied. In the Cebu City Quarantine Center, 51 beds are available while 109 are occupied. In barangay isolation centers , 708 are available while 320 are occupied. In hotels, 133 beds are available, while 147 are occupied.
City Councilor Joel Garganera, EOC deputy chief implementer, attributed the high availability of beds in isolation facilities to the observance of a triage system.
Garganera said critical care occupancies are also “getting better.”
In 15 health facilities, the bed occupancy rate is only 36.5 percent.
“Yes, our situation is a lot better compared to the previous weeks,” he said.
However, Garganera said that both the government and the public must work together to maintain the development of the Covid-19 situation in the city while waiting for the rollout of vaccines intended for the general public. (WBS, JJL)