COVID-19 test | STOCK PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Three more health workers in Cebu have been afflicted with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), data from the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH – 7) show.
“We now have three health workers who have tested positive for COVID-19. They were exposed to patients who have COVID-19 in their line of work,” Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH – 7 director, said in a press release issued on May 1, 2020.
Results of their swab tests were released between April 30 and May 1, according to the DOH – 7 data.
However, details are yet to be released on the three Cebu health workers who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
This now brings to five the total number of Cebu healthcare workers who were infected with the deadly virus. All of the five health workers were already isolated to prevent the spread of the infection.
A doctor and a nurse from Minglanilla, a second-class municipality located approximately 20 kilometers south of Cebu City, were the first health workers in Cebu who tested positive for the virus. Both are working at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).
The two frontline workers from VSMMC, who are fighting the pandemic, were included in Cebu province’s count of COVID-19 infection which totals to 28 as of May 1, 2020.
Meanwhile, Bernadas said that hospitals with healthcare workers who tested positive for COVID-19 have been ordered to implement isolation procedures to contain the possible spread of the virus.
“Investigations are being conducted by the hospital’s Infection Control Committee to ensure that all contacts inside and outside the hospital are being traced, swabbed, isolated, and managed accordingly,” added Bernadas.
Since March 29, there were no new COVID-19 cases reported from other provinces in Central Visayas except Cebu.
As of May 1, 2020, the island now has a total of 860 COVID-19 patients mostly coming from the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu. The list also includes the 14 repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who tested positive for the virus and remains isolated in Cebu City hotels. / dcb