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Calls for help to One Hospital Command Center dip

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA—The Philippine COVID-19 referral system is receiving fewer calls for help in securing hospital admission as coronavirus cases in the country have fallen in the past week.Dr. Bernadett Velasco, operations manager of One Hospital Command Center, said they were receiving between 150 to 200 calls for help daily. The system was receiving 600 to 700 calls daily amid surging infections in August.&quot;Sa ngayon, medyo bumababa &#x27;yung number of calls natin na natatanggap on a daily basis,&quot; she told Teleradyo Monday.(The number of calls we received now on a daily basis has slightly decreased.)Velasco said many calls remain requests for hospital admission, meaning patients are suffering from moderate to critical symptoms of COVID-19.According to the Department of Health&#x27;s COVID-19 Tracker as of Oct. 23, the bed occupancy rate in Metro Manila was at 36 percent.This means 3,770 beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients were occupied while 6,709 others remain vacant.Most hospitals or 131 were considered &quot;safe&quot; or less than 60 percent occupied, 13 were &quot;moderate&quot; or 60 to 70 percent occupied, 5 were &quot;high risk&quot; or 70 to 85 percent occupied and 7 were &quot;critical&quot; or more than 85 percent occupied.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/10/24/21/ph-records-over-5k-new-covid-cases-208-new-deaths">Philippines records over 5k new COVID cases, over 200 new deaths</a></li></ul>On Sunday, the Philippines logged 5,279 fresh coronavirus cases. The latest figure raised the country&#x27;s caseload to over 2.7 million.Of the total confirmed infections, 60,957 are active cases or patients still sick with the disease.

From a high of 600-700 calls daily, the One Hospital Command Center is now receiving 150 to 200 calls for help every day as COVID-19 cases fall. 