MANILA – As the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus threatens a lockdown, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) maintains the operation of its isolation facilities and emergency field hospitals (EFH).
The PRC anticipates an increase in Covid-19 cases as a result of the new variant.
Senator Richard Gordon, PRC chair and CEO, has authorized the deployment of the EFH as early as April to act as an extension for the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) to address the rising need for hospital beds.
It will allow LCP to free up bed spaces, allowing more severe cases to be admitted.
To accommodate asymptomatic patients, PRC converted vacant classrooms into temporary isolation units.
The agency now has isolation facilities at Ateneo de Manila and University of the Philippines in Quezon City, College of Saint Benilde in Manila, and Makati Science High School.
“We are in a war situation against this invisible enemy. The health care system in the NCR Plus region is challenged due to the increasing cases of Covid-positive individuals. Through the emergency field hospitals and isolation facilities of the Red Cross, the PRC will help serve more patients needing immediate health care,” Gordon said in a news release on Thursday.
Gordon was diagnosed with pneumonia after testing positive for Covid-19. He was hospitalized to the Makati Medical Center on Wednesday.
“I am fully vaccinated and I am grateful for the protection that the vaccine affords me today. While infections in vaccinated people are relatively uncommon, they can and do happen,” he said.
