Hospitals in the Philippine capital are preparing for the possible rise in the number of COVID-19 infections after the holidays.
The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) said they are bracing for a possible surge of coronavirus cases following the holiday season.
“We hope there won’t be a surge that’s too high because we’re opening up our hospital to non-COVID patients as well,” said Jonas del Rosario, spokesperson of the Philippine General Hospital.
He said the hospital is anticipating a surge in COVID-19 cases as people seem to relax their observance of health protocols.
“We see a lot of photos showing crowded places and some people also go to their relatives, probably for a reunion even if the government does not allow that,” said Del Rosario.
He assured the public, however, that hospitals, especially the Philippine General Hospital, are ready to with its COVID operations.
Antonio Ramos of the Lung Center of the Philippines appealed to the public to avoid drinking in public and singing videoke during gatherings to prevent COVID-19 transmissions.
“You can exchange gifts, but avoid eating together,” he said.
“Let’s be careful in our community, because the risk of a virus transmission is high when people drink together and sing,” said Ramos.
The Health department on Monday reported 1,339 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 450,733 with 23,253 active infections.
Health experts have earlier warned that the total number of infections could hit between 470,000 and 500,000 by December 31.
