Coronavirus: Manila prepares mass quarantine centers

The Philippine government had prepared mass quarantine facilities for patients with the coronavirus, officials said on Friday, as the number of infections surged to more than 3,000 and deaths jumped to 136.

The 29 additional deaths were the highest reported in a day, but the Department of Health said that  the “sudden spike is attributed to the late reporting of previous deaths.’’

The department also reported 358 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the country’s total to 3,018, adding that  more COVID-19  centres had been  completed with eight laboratories now able to process specimens.

Amid the rising cases, the government said that it was preparing 12 quarantine facilities that could house thousands of sick patients across metro Manila and the island of Luzon, said Vince Dizon, a member of the inter-agency task force on COVID-19.

“We are doing this to stop the spread of the coronavirus in our communities,’’ he said.

“With the help of the Department of Health and local government units, sick patients will be brought to the facilities so they won’t spread the virus.

“We all know that because of the number of people getting sick, our hospitals are already getting full.

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“With these facilities, we hope to stop the people from overwhelming our hospitals so they can prioritise the critical and severe patients,’’ he said.

Dizon said the facilities would  be housed in existing structures, such as government convention centres, sports’ stadiums and trade halls.