TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol – Lest the people be misled, Bohol may have an average of 3 new cases a day, but behind it all is a hospital bed utilization that is still on the red.
On May 20 at about 9:00 AM for example, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force on the management of emerging infectious diseases (BIATF) bared three active corona virus disease (COVID) cases in Bohol.
That day records an active COVID case in Tagbilaran City, in Dauis and in Jagna.
While the three may be nothing compared to the times when Bohol breached a thousand active cases in a day, a peek at the hospital bed utilization in Bohol shows what is below the iceberg.
For the primary hospitals for example, in Catigbian District Hospital which caters to the health-catchment area of Catigbian and its nearby towns, five of its eight COVID Isolation beds were occupied, which places the hospital bad utilization at critical risk.
The same is true with Congressman Simeon Toribio Hospital in Carmen.
Of its 12 beds allocated for COVID isolation, eight were occupied and only four are vacant, which is again putting this hospital service at critical risk.
At the Don Emilio del Valle Hospital in Ubay, with a much bigger bed allocation of 46 beds, 29 are occupied and only 17 are open for confining patients.
In Tagbilaran City, the Medical Mission Group of Hospitals has 10 beds allocated for COVID Isolation: six are occupied and four remain free, for a 60% utilization making it at critical risk.
Teodoro Galagar District Hospital in Jagna is even at high risk with seven of their tem beds now occupied.
And while people with mild or moderate cases of COVID generally gravitate away from the secondary private hospitals in Bohol, possibly due to financial implications of confinement, Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital is bearing the brunt of cases.
A COVID-dedicated hospital, GCGMH allocates 13 intensive care unit beds for COVID, where 12 are occupied leaving only one bed available as of May 19.
This puts the hospital COVID ICU bed services in critical risk.
Of Gallares’ 14 COVID ward beds, all of the were reported as occupied as of May 19.
The same picture is shown of its 14 COVID isolation beds: there is no vacancy as all are occupied.
Of its 18 COVID mechanical ventilators, 12 are occupied and 6 are open for services, putting the hospital on a moderate risk.
With this, authorities continue to remind people especially when fiestas have place people close to each other significantly increasing the risks of cross infection.
Always exercise minimum public health protocols, keep social distancing and personal hygiene high up on the list of personal priorities, health experts advice.
With Bohol still struggling to bring the vaccination numbers to 80%, the infection cases may have waned, but the threat is still there waiting for the opportunity to pounce on the unsuspecting, they added. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
