Tragic stories of people who died of COVID-19 surfaced as more hospitals reach capacities deemed at “high risk” following the transmission of the Delta coronavirus variant.
In an Instagram post, Tricia Robredo, a doctor and daughter of Vice President Leni Robredo, shared three severe COVID-19 cases she has handled which showed the harsh battle against the virus in the country.
On May 3, the younger Robredo recounted her first COVID-19 patient who experienced breathing difficulty and died the following day.
“He was quite stubborn, but he was largely afraid of the bills even with offers of assistance. He wasn’t earning much with M/ECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine),” she said
“But he asks for help the next morning. Our response team immediately takes a detour to his residence, only to find a lifeless body next to a wife who tried to [give him] CPR,” she added.
Her next patient on August 13 was able to find a hospital, but it was already too late.
“Tank running low, husband deteriorating, no hospital taking them in. Responders were in the middle of another dispatch at the opposite end of the bubble, so we tried to coordinate with the LGU first,” the frontliner said, based on a call from a patient’s wife.
“[Sabi] na wala rin daw magawa kahit sa oxygen refill. Katulad daw ng crematoriums, punuan din ang ospital. I wish they were kidding but I know they weren’t,” Robredo continued.
“He eventually finds a hospital in Manila, but he expires six hours later,” she added.
Another patient passed away after she was not immediately admitted to a hospital due to overcapacity on August 14.
“They called for a new patient. Her in-law had no comorbidity but was undergoing desaturation. We lent a tank while three different groups tried to look for hospitals. But they could not find one. Not even for a walk-in, not even when they pleaded,” Robredo said.
“I woke up this morning to the in-law’s text saying they were now just staying at home. It was the grandfather himself who asked them to just accept the situation because he was already tired,” she added.
These heartbreaking stories urged Robredo to show how the past few weeks have been “heavy and frustrating” amid the worsening impact of the COVID-19 situation in the country.
“We thought we saw the worst of the surge back in April/May but the past two weeks have been just as heavy and frustrating. It’s difficult to describe, but I hope these capture it somehow,” she said.
READ: Rundown: NCR hospitals in full capacity again as COVID-19 cases surge
The latest COVID-19 update of the Department of Health shows that the intensive care units’ occupancy rates in the country are at “high risk” at 73%. Metro Manila ICU occupancy is similarly at high risk at 74%.
Earlier today, the Philippines recorded its highest-ever single-day tally of newly detected COVID-19 cases at 17,231.