Published April 23, 2021, 3:27 PM More than available beds for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, the lack of nurses to man hospitals is one of the main reasons why hospitals in Metro Manila are getting overwhelmed, molecular biologist-priest Nicanor Austriaco said on Friday, April 23. Austriaco, a research fellow of OCTA, said thousands of nurses are needed to manage a total of 9,745 COVID beds designated by the Department of Health (DOH) in Metro Manila, as of April 19, 2021. As of December 2020, there are about 16,000 nurses in the National Capital Region. The lack of nurses to man hospitals is one of the main reasons why hospitals in Metro Manila are getting overwhelmed