DOH prepares for COVID-19 surge, bolsters oxygen supply

The Philippines is increasing its preparedness for a potential surge in COVID-19 cases, driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that the country needs to increase its medical oxygen supply in preparation for a possible spike in infections, citing the loss of lives due to oxygen shortage in India.

The Department of Health (DOH) has started stockpiling oxygen supply and is coordinating with local government units and hospitals to ensure sufficient medical oxygen.

The DOH conducted an inventory of oxygen supply across the country, finding that hospitals currently have sufficient existing supplies.

However, the DOH wants to anticipate a potential surge, as other countries needed twice their current oxygen supply.

Hospitals have been instructed to expand their bed capacity for COVID-19 patients.

Local governments are being advised to intensify their Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategy and implement area navigation to manage potential chaos during a surge.