Zamboanga City COVID-19 cases '' quite alarming''
COVID-19 cases in Zamboanga City are "quite alarming" as shortage of oxygen and hospital beds are being experienced.
"The cases here in Zamboanga (are) quite alarming and so that is why we continue to appeal to our residents to really observe the minimum health protocols and to avoid social gatherings because we know that is where we really get the infection if there are a lot of people," Kenneth Beldua, Zamboanga City COVID Task Force spokesman said during the ''Laging Handa'' public briefing on Wednesday.
Beldua said the government of Zamboanga city has recorded a total of 17,882 confirmed cases, of which 2,551 are active cases and "we have a seven-day positivity rate at 23 percent."
"We have the mild cases at 38 percent; the moderate cases at 3.5 percent; severe cases are 5.3 (percent); and the critical is at 1 percent; asymptomatic remains at an all-time high of 52 percent," he said.
Beldua said ''bed occupancy now is at 86 percent which is deemed to be a critical level and the Zamboanga City Medical Center which is the center for our COVID referrals here in the region has already reached its maximum capacity."
Beldua added there are challenges they experience in oxygen supply and shortage of hospital beds.
"We really have a shortage of our oxygen which is a concern that was brought forth by the City Mayor, Mayor Beng Climaco, to the government. We also have a lack of supply in ICU and COVID-19 beds in the hospitals and we’re trying to address these issues by several measures that we will be undertaking in the coming days," he said.
Beldua said Zamboanga City is looking into suppliers of the needed supply of oxygen while isolation facilities will be converted to "become step-down and step-up facilities for patients instead of bringing them to the hospitals."
He added that health care workers are requesting for much stricter quarantine classification to help curb increasing cases in the city.
"Right now, as based on the information relayed to us by (National Task Force) Secretary (Carlito) Galvez, our request for the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine is being considered by the National Inter-Agency Task Force. Because we are now under GCQ and we need a much tighter quarantine," he said.
"However, the challenge really is for the local government to also assist the sectors who will be affected by more strict quarantine classification because we know that if we will be placed under MECQ more workers will be affected," he added. Robina Asido/DMS
