A new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) facility within the Quezon Institute compound in Quezon City is now open in preparation for the possible post-holiday surge in cases.

The National Task Force (NTF) Against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Tuesday led the turnover ceremony of the Quezon Institute Philippine Tuberculosis Society Inc. Modular Hospital and Dormitory on Tuesday.

In his speech, Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said the modular hospital and dormitory comprise the first of the two units of modular hospitals with 44-bed capacity and two units of dormitories with 64 beds which shall be turned over to the Department of Health (DOH).

“What you’re seeing here today is 44 isolation rooms and the rest of which will be finished by February and each patient room has its own toilet and bath, fully furnished with air conditioning units, oxygen outlets and nurse call push button,” Villar said.

He added that a paging system, security camera, emergency lights, anti-bacterial floors, provision for the doffing and donning of the front-liners the DOH provided were incorporated into the facility in order to limit the spread of contamination.

The modular hospitals are intended for treating moderate and severe Covid-19 patients while the dormitories are for the medical personnel manning the facility.

Both will be managed and operated by the medical teams from the DOH and the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital.

NTF Deputy Chief Implementer Vivencio Dizon said the coronavirus is still present even when there is a downtrend in cases and so the government cannot be complacent.

“Tutoy-tuloy ang paggawa ng isolation facilities, testing laboratories, upgrade ng mga ospital, kasi kailangan lagi tayong handa kung sakasakali tumaas ulit ang mga kaso ay mayroon tayong gagamitin na facilities para algaan ang mga magkakasakit nating mga kababayan ([We] continue to build isolation facilities, testing laboratories, upgrade of hospitals, because we need to be ready if the cases go up again, we have facilities we can use to care for our fellowmen who will get sick),” Dizon added.

“Especially this season, hopefully we won’t see a dramatic surge (in Covid-19 cases) this Christmas and New Year, but we are ready here in Metro Manila and also in other areas,” Dizon said in mixed English and Filipino.

The same facility will be put up in other parts of the country, if needed, with the possible Covid-19 case surge amid the holidays.

Dizon reminds Filipinos to avoid large gatherings this Christmas and New Year holidays and to practice and observe minimum health standards – wearing face mask and face shield, hand washing and sanitizing, and physical distancing.

DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega thanked the DPWH for the rapid establishment and implementation of the health facility at the Quezon Institute as it would boost the government’s efforts in fighting Covid-19.

“If you’re not able to take care of the severe and critical cases, the case fatality rate will go up, it has to be there – the proper care and management of severe and critical must be operational,” Vega said. (PNA)