CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) maintains that it will follow “prioritization protocols” in testing their patients for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) despite a recommendation from the Philippines Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) to conduct a universal screening among pregnant patients.
In an advisory, VSMMC said the hospital still puts patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in top priority in testing for COVID-19.
Influenza-like illness (ILI) patients that are in high-risk pregnancies come in second priority for the testing followed by pregnant patients who come from areas that are perceived to have “sustained local transmissions.”
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According to the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), a pregnancy is considered “high-risk ” if it “threatens” the health or life of the mother or her unborn, which often requires specialized care.
“Although the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) recommends the universal screening of all pregnant patients, VSMMC follows the test prioritization for rt-PCR for SARS-CoV2 even for pregnant patients admitted for delivery,” the hospital administration said.
VSMMC, a Department of Health regional hospital, is the largest medical facility catering to COVID-19 cases in Cebu and the Visayas.
On previous occasions, the health department has cautioned expectant mothers and their families to be more cautious of their health as the pregnancy may cause the patient to become vulnerable to COVID-19 infection.