The Silliman University Medical Center (SUMC), a private hospital here, has reassured the public it is ready for a possible surge of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Delta variant cases in Negros Oriental.
SUMC, in a media release Tuesday, said with the reported Delta variant cases in the province, it is “preparing for the worst-case scenario to ensure the safety of our residents”.
The hospital administration noted that since the Delta variant has infected a few of the residents, it anticipates a possible increase in Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks.
The SUMC’s advisory came as health authorities in Negros Oriental on Monday asked the public and private hospitals and outside the city to brace for another surge in Covid-19 cases.
“As the only tertiary hospital in the province, SUMC has been preparing its stocks of critical medications, securing its medical oxygen supplies, ramping up testing ability and capacity, reviewing and adjusting hospital policies for quarantine and isolation, and streamlining patient management in and out of the hospital,” the statement said.
SUMC also reiterated its virtual consultations and doctors’ home visits through its Home Health Services.
The hospital’s statement came following a resolution where health authorities told the hospitals to stockpile equipment, supplies, and medication, and increase the bed capacity for Covid-19 patients.
Negros Oriental had already experienced a surge in coronavirus cases sometime in April this year, which led to the imposition of modified enhanced community quarantine from June 16 to July 15.
From July 16 to date, the province is under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions, and the cases saw a steep decline to at least 20 new cases a day.
However, the figures started to climb again in August, and currently, the average daily new cases are at 100 or more, records from the Provincial Health Office showed.
Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion said they are now treating all Covid-19 cases in Negros Oriental as Delta variant infections in the absence of confirmation from the Philippine Genome Center.
Source: Philippines News Agency
