The regional Department of Health (DOH)  Ilocos region announced that it had opened five Negative Pressure Isolation Rooms (NPIRs) at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) 
 
In a statement, DOH regional director Paula Paz Syndiongo said the pressure isolation rooms would "provide a critical barrier between highly infectious people and uninfected individuals, particularly for patients with diseases that spread through the air, such as coronavirus."
 
The rooms would also serve as an isolation facility for individuals suffering from SARS, Ebola virus disease, or pulmonary tuberculosis.
 
The NPIRs, according to Syndiongco, will "filter, trap, and keep potentially dangerous particles within the confines of the room." The World Bank sponsored the project that started in October 2021 through its COVID-19 emergency health support program. 

The DOH Ilocos region hopes to expand this project to "complement our fight against infectious diseases."
 
According to the most recent DOH Ilocos report, the average daily COVID-19 case number in the region from May 1 to 7 was three. There was no percentage change from the previous week.