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Emergency rooms in key areas still full as COVID-19 spike lingers: PCP officer

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/04/18/20210411-covid19-hospital-vmmc-md-1md_6543.jpg"/><figcaption>A sign marks the overcapacity of Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City on April 11, 2021 as cases of COVID-19 rises in the country. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA - Most emergency rooms in pandemic-hit areas are still full as the number of new COVID-19 cases remains high in the Greater Manila area, an officer of a doctors&#x27; group said Sunday.Government must enforce &quot;long-term&quot; programs such as digitalizing its contact-tracing, testing all people exposed to virus patients, and improving its referral of COVID-19 cases, said Dr. Maricar Limpin, vice president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP). <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/13/21/ecq-should-have-been-extended-for-2-more-weeks-health-professionals">ECQ should have been extended for 2 more weeks: health professionals</a></li></ul>&quot;Marami kaming nakikita na severe na o critical. It’s frustrating sa amin kasi by the time na makita namin, malalang-malala na ang mga kababayan natin,&quot; she told ABS-CBN&#x27;s Teleradyo.(We see a lot of patients become severe or critical. It&#x27;s frustrating for us because by the time we see them, they&#x27;re in the worst condition already.)Health workers may only feel the impact of the stricter community quarantines in 2 to 3 weeks, Limpin said.&quot;Kinakaya na lang talaga namin, ang mga emergency department namin ay talagang punong-puno. Hindi lang punong-puno, it is about 200-percent capacity ang aming mga emergency department.&quot;(We just push through it. Our emergency department is really full. Not just full, it&#x27;s at about 200-percent capacity.)Limpin urged local governments to centralize their data as contact-tracing using filled-up forms has been ineffective.&quot;Iimprove ang contact-tracing natin atsaka sana po kung kunyari QR code magkasundo na ho sila. &#x27;Wag na ho mano-mano na contact tracing form na finifillupan natin. Wala hong nangyayari sa kanya. Itapon na natin kasi alam na natin na hindi effective,&quot; she said.(Let&#x27;s improve our contact-tracing, and they should agree on one thing, for example, if it&#x27;s QR code. Let&#x27;s not do manual contact tracing because nothing happens. Let&#x27;s throw it away because we know it&#x27;s not effective.)She also urged local officials to bring COVID-19 assistance to residents instead of the other way around.&quot;I think there should be a better way of distributing itong mga ayuda na ito. Pwede siguro naman na &#x27;yung government employees ang pumunta sa mga tao kesa ang mga tao pa ang pupunta sa kanila,&quot; she said.(I think there should be a better way of distributing this aid. I think government employees can go to the people instead of residents going to them.)The Philippines on Saturday reported 11,101 more COVID-19 cases, bringing its total to 926,052. Of this figure, 203,710 are active infections.It was forecast to breach the 1 million mark by the end of the month, the OCTA Research Group earlier said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/17/21/ph-logs-11101-new-covid-19-cases-active-infections-breach-200000">PH logs 11,101 new COVID-19 cases; active infections breach 200,000</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1663921" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Most emergency rooms in pandemic-hit areas are still full as the number of new COVID-19 cases remains high in the Greater Manila area, an officer of a doctors' group said Sunday.

Most emergency rooms in pandemic-hit areas are still full as the number of new COVID-19 cases remains high in the Greater Manila area, an officer of a doctors' group said Sunday.