Philippines tilts towards full-blown Covid catastrophe – Asia Times

MANILA The Philippines is grappling with the region s worst Covid-19 outbreak, a surge in infections that some fear could soon tilt the country towards a humanitarian disaster without a quick course shift.

The Philippines has logged an average of more than 10,000 new daily infections in the past week, the highest infection rate in Southeast Asia, prompting the government to extend lockdowns that will inevitably exacerbate the nation s already deep and wide economic pain.

Healthcare institutions are again overwhelmed as hundreds of patients desperately struggle to gain admission across Metro Manila s and other cities hospitals. The nation s presidential spokesman and contact tracing czar are among those who contracted the disease in the past month, reflecting the depth of a crisis that has hit the highest echelons of society.

Many Filipinos aren t making into the hospital, with reports circulating that patients are dying inside tents set up outside health care facilities as they wait to be admitted. Over 13,000 have died from Covid-19, massively more than the less than 100 who have succumbed in Thailand.

via asiatimes.com