DOH notes drop in NCR ICU bed utilization

The Department of Health (DOH) observed a decrease in the utilization rate of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds in the National Capital Region (NCR), indicating a move towards a low-risk category.

This improvement is attributed to hospitals allocating more beds for critical COVID-19 patients and the operationalization of modular field hospitals.

Currently, the ICU bed occupancy in NCR Plus is at 61 percent, with overall healthcare utilization at 50 to 51 percent, classifying the region as low-risk.

The DOH aims for ICU utilization to fall below 60 percent to signify a robust healthcare system capable of managing surges.

This is a significant drop from the 84 percent ICU utilization rate recorded in the NCR on April 18.

As of Monday, 56 percent of 700 dedicated COVID-19 ICU beds in the NCR are in use, alongside 41 percent of isolation beds, 46 percent of ward beds, and 42 percent of ventilators.