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PH offers home care packages for COVID patients due to lack of beds

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ABS-CBN News

<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=1767472" 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>MANILA—The Philippine government is offering home care packages to patients suffering mild symptoms of COVID-19 due to a shortage in hospital beds amid a surge in infections. Dr. Bernadette Velasco, operations manager of One Hospital Command Center, said they were receiving between 480 to 560 calls for help daily.&quot;Sa ngayon po, dahil po sa spike ng cases natin, medyo nahihirapan pa rin tayo na maghanap ng mga hospital,&quot; she told Teleradyo.(Right now, due to the spike in our cases, we are having difficulty finding hospitals [for our patients].)As many hospitals are operating at full capacity, patients were instead endorsed to barangay health emergency response teams or local government units for monitoring, Velasco said.The government is also offering home care package to patients who have mild cases of the illness, she added.&quot;Meron naman po tayong mga ino-offer sa government, may mga home care package doon po natin sila nire-refer kung kakayanin po talaga sa bahay lang po mag-stay ang pasyente.&quot;(The government offers several things like home care packages. We refer that when the patient can stay at home.)&quot;Pero &#x27;pag emergency cases po talaga, &#x27;yun po talaga &#x27;yung pina-prioritize natin na madala sa hospital. At least man lang ma-stabilize po para gumanda &#x27;yung kondisyon ng pasyente,&quot; Velasco said.(If it&#x27;s an emergency case, we really prioritize them in hospitals. At least, their condition will stabilize.)Launched in August last year, the OHCC is a health-care referral network linked with service providers such as hospitals, quarantine facilities and medical transportation for COVID-19 cases.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/16/21/philippines-upgrades-covid-19-hospital-referral-system-after-complaints-says-official">Philippines upgrades COVID-19 hospital referral system after complaints, says official</a></li></ul>In June, the national government improved the command center after it was flooded with complaints following a surge in coronavirus infections in April.Some 80 additional personnel were hired to man the OHCC. The monitoring system was also moved to the Philippine International Convention Center.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/04/15/21/contact-command-center-for-covid-19-treatment-palace-advises-public">Contact command center for COVID-19 treatment, Palace advises public</a></li></ul>On Monday, the Philippines logged 22,415 fresh coronavirus cases, its highest daily tally since the pandemic began last year. The latest figure raised the country&#x27;s caseload to 2.1 million.Of the total confirmed infections, 159,633 are active cases or patients still sick with the disease.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/06/21/record-high-ph-records-22415-new-covid-19-cases">HIGHEST EVER: PH logs 22,415 fresh COVID-19 cases as NCR prepares shift to GCQ</a></li></ul>The country remains at &quot;high-risk&quot; for the spread of COVID-19, with cases expected to rise in the coming weeks, the Department of Health had said.The national bed utilization was at 68.86 percent, mechanical ventilator utilization at 56.69 percent and ICU utilization at 74.35 percent, latest DOH figures show.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/06/21/ph-remains-high-risk-for-covid-infections-seen-to-further-rise">Brace for more cases: Philippines remains &#x27;high-risk&#x27; for COVID, warns DOH</a></li></ul>

The country's COVID-19 hospital referral system on Tuesday said it is struggling to find hospital beds for patients amid the surge in infections.