This province has 40 beds available for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients in its three referral hospitals.

“The provincial hospital Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH), Culasi District Hospital, and Bugasong Medicare Community Hospital are our referral hospitals,” Governor Rhodora Cadiao said in an interview Tuesday.

The ASMGH has 30-bed capacity while the Culasi District Hospital and Bugasong Medicare Community Hospital have five beds each available for Covid-19 patients.

Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) information officer Irene Dulduco said as of their latest available data, there are 15 active Covid-19 cases in the province.

“Three of the active cases are admitted at the ASMGH,” she said.

The Culasi District Hospital and the Bugasong Medicare Community Hospital have no admitted Covid-19 cases, she added.

“The three active cases are also mild cases,” she said, adding that patients suffered from difficulty of breathing.

The three hospitals in the province can manage mild to moderate Covid-19 cases, she said.

Meanwhile, five other Covid-19 cases are in the isolation facilities in their respective municipalities.

The seven others are considered Cases Outside of Antique Province (COPA).

These COPA are Antiqueños working outside of Antique province but had been included in the Covid-19 report of cases in the province.

The latest Covid-19 active case is a COPA who is a resident of San Remigio town but working as a nurse in Iloilo City and who is now in an isolation facility in that city.

Cadiao said she would welcome Antiqueño Covid-19 patients as well as the locally stranded individuals (LSIs) wanting to come home as she also pities them.

“We welcome even those Covid-19 patients who want to undergo their treatment here in the province,” she said.

She said they have to coordinate with their respective local government chief executives so that they would know that they are coming.

“We can even pick up the sick Antiqueños in the ambulance,” she said. (PNA)