News and UpdatesIn the News53 local health workers quarantined

53 local health workers quarantined

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About 53 hospital staff in both the SU Medical Center Foundation Inc. and in Ace Dumaguete Doctors Hospital here are on quarantine after attending to the municipal councilor from the northern town of Tayasan who tested positive for the coronavirus on March 10.

“Due to our nurses being considered as Persons under Monitoring, we are currently understaffed,” said Dr. Brenda Diputado, medical director of Ace Dumaguete Doctors.

She lamented that 30 of their nursing staff are on quarantine “due to exposure to one CoViD-positive patient.”

“Of the 30, two have developed minor symptoms, and have since been confined in our isolation room,” Dr. Diputado assured.

She explained that all 30 health workers were exposed to the CoViD patient, and have gone through the mandatory quarantine at home.

It was not ascertained if the families of the 30 health workers were also being monitored.

“Some 23 of our health workers, including two Resident doctors, are on quarantine, five of whom are incharge of the CoViD-positive patient,” shared a personnel of another hospital who clarified it is not an official statement.

The rest are part of the nursing staff in the intensive care unit.

The health workers are wearing personal protective gear, and have been provided “added benefits” like hazard pay.

The 62-year-old patient was first admitted at Ace Dumaguete Doctors on March 6 before the family insisted to transfer him to intensive care unit of the SU Medical Center four days later when his condition deteriorated.

“We are managing the situation following precautionary measures based on accepted infection-control guidelines from the Department of Health and the World Health Organization,” said Roberto D. Montebon, president/administrator of the SU Medical Center, which is now taking care of the country’s CoViD-19 patient No. PH39.

The patient from Tayasan, about 109 kilometers north of Dumaguete, was said to have gone around Greenhills in San Juan after attending a national convention of the Philippine Councilors’ League in Manila.

The shopping area in Greenhills is the worksite of another COVID-positive couple now confined in a hospital in Manila.

Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria, PCL-Negros Oriental president, said there is no need for the other councilors who also attended the convention in Manila to submit themselves for testing. “Today (March 13) is the 14th day of our last contact so if we have no symptoms, we are on the clear.”

Bais Councilor Jed Goñi, who attended the PCL convention in Manila, echoed a similar sentiment. “Fourteen days have lapsed, I hope no one else [among us] got contaminated.”

He added that even if they had wanted to submit for testing, “The question is where? If we had [access to] the sampling kits, it would be good.”

Taking his cue from President Duterte’s announcement on Thursday evening, Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo has also ordered the suspension of classes in all levels, and has prohibited all forms of public gatherings and events starting March 13.

Dumaguete hosts more than 82,000 students.

Negros Oriental State University President Dr. Joel Limson ordered a five-day suspension of work and classes to give time for the spraying of the campus with disinfectants.

St. Paul University, for its part, also suspended classes and work indefinitely. St. Paul President Sr. Joseline Lasala announced a “lockdown and disinfection” in campus until clearance is given.

The nuns at St. Paul have advised the academic community to do ‘blended learning’ from the home.

The students were also instructed about their 4Ps: don’t Panic, take Precaution, be Prepared, and Pray.

Silliman University had earlier announced the suspension of classes until further notice, and has cancelled as well the holding of its 107th commencement ceremonies for more than a thousand graduates in all levels.

Meanwhile, the church council of Silliman Church met Thursday night to discuss, among other things, the holding of worship services only in the big church, and not at the small Udarbe Memorial Chapel, to enable people to sit one meter apart.

“The main sanctuary, which can accommodate about 1,200 people, will be able to accommodate about 600 people for ‘social distancing’ purposes, or at least three feet apart,” said University Pastor Rev. Noriel Capulong.

Health Sec. Francisco Duque had earlier called for a ban on attending crowded church services and watching films in crowded moviehouses, the places of which he likened to a petri dish for CoViD-19. (Irma Faith Pal)

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