Metro Manila hospitals overwhelmed, advises COVID-19 patients to self-quarantine

Hospitals in Metro Manila are overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, leading to some confirmed cases being advised to self-quarantine at home instead of being admitted.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte reported that at least 14 Quezon City residents who tested positive for COVID-19 were advised by hospitals in various parts of Metro Manila to go home.

Three of these patients live in urban poor communities, increasing the risk of spreading the virus in their densely populated households.

The remaining patients are professionals who can self-quarantine at home.

This practice of advising non-critical patients to stay home is an effort by the government to prevent overwhelming hospitals, as per the Department of Health's Memorandum No. 2020-0108A.

The Quezon City local government has intensified its efforts to identify facilities for positive patients who cannot self-quarantine due to their living conditions.