PGH: 3 of 6 infected kids ‘critical’

MANILA, Philippines — Three of the six children who were admitted to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) for COVID-19 are “critical,” an official said yesterday.

According to PGH spokesman Jonas del Rosario, two of the children are moderate cases, while one is mild and is already on the way to recovery.

Del Rosario noted at a public briefing that, in general, children have strong immunity and that these children are “more of an exception.”

He added there are children who have comorbidities like epilepsy, heart and kidney ailments, and these complicate their conditions.

“We have to remember that PGH is a referral center and we are also taking care of children who have (other) conditions,” he said.

The PGH had sent the swab samples collected from the patients to the Philippine Genome Center for sequencing to determine if they carry any variant of COVID-19.

The results, however, are not yet out.

Del Rosario said the PGH has eight beds in its pediatric COVID-19 facility, which can expand to 12 beds when needed.