ZAMBOANGA CITY – The government-run Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) announced Friday that its obstetric and gynecology (OB-Gyne) department will temporarily stop admitting pregnant mothers in their second to fourth pregnancy for normal delivery.

The ZCMC, through its Public Affairs and Customer Care Unit (PACCU), said in a statement that the decision was reached due to the current surge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the city.

“We will only accommodate those with complications or those in their first and fifth pregnancy and above,” the ZCMC said.

The ZCMC said there are 249 patients admitted to the Covid-19 wards and emergency room (ER) as of Thursday, January 27. The Covid-19 bed capacity of the hospital is 160.

It said that 217 of the 249 are confirmed positive and 32 are suspected cases of Covid-19.

About 63 percent of the confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 are not yet vaccinated. Of the confirmed positive, 166 are adults while the remaining 51 are pediatrics.

Among the confirmed positive, only about 16 percent have severe symptoms and 67 percent with moderate symptoms.

“There are eight patients on high-flow oxygen,” the ZCMC added.

The ZCMC is the referral hospital for Covid-19 patients in the region. (PNA)OB-Gyne