Cagayan Valley hospital exceeds Covid capacity

By Leander C. Domingo

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan -- There are no more beds available for Covid-19 patients at the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC), according to Dr. Glenn Mathew Baggao, CVMC chief of hospital.
    Baggao said the CVMC reached its full capacity several days ago with more than 200 Covid-19 patients admitted for both confirmed and suspected cases.
    Baggao noted of the 164 confirmed cases in the hospital, 146 are from Cagayan province, 15 from Isabela, two from Kalinga and one from Apayao. There are also 37 suspected cases of Covid-19 including one patient airlifted from the island province of Batanes.
    "With the surge of cases now, we can in the meantime install 50 more beds in our Covid ward in addition to our existing 150 beds for Covid-19 patients," Baggao said.
    Facebook posts show some CVMC patients were temporarily placed outside the CVMC Covid ward and others stay in their vehicles on oxygen while waiting for vacant rooms.
    Baggao said CVMC has started looking for hotel rooms for recovering patients to accommodate more patients who are outside the hospital waiting, especially those whose cases are severe and in critical status.
    Meanwhile, the Department of Health in Region 2 is working on augmenting the workforce of the hospital including supplies and equipment needed in the increasing number of Covid patients.