MANILA, Philippines — Some silver lining from the Makati Medical Center (MMC), which reported Monday that it has discharged 29 COVID-19 patients who have now recovered from the infectious respiratory illness.
MMC Medical Director Saturnino Javier said that “the discharged patients are all clinically improved, with several obtaining at lease once negative COVID-19 result.”
“Without juxtaposing this against the Department of Health (DOH) numbers, the number is still considerable — worthy of quiet applause to motivate our workforce,” Javier said in a statement.
DOH considers a COVID-19 patient to have recovered when they have tested negative of the virus twice, which Javier said is a “real challenge to satisfy given the delay in the processing of tests.”
As of Monday afternoon, DOH said a total of 42 COVID-19 patients were able to recover from the respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2.
As of March 29, MMC said it has attended to nearly 1,300 individuals: 832 persons under investigation (PUIs) for COVID-19 infection and 449 persons under monitoring (PUMs) since March 8.
No nurses from the COVID-19 frontlines in MMC have so far contracted the coronavirus, according to Javier.
He also said that no medical and nursing personnel in MMC’s emergency room have tested positive for COVID-19 after the hospital implemented full personal protective equipment for frontliners.
Meanwhile, two MMC personnel who were previously intubated in the intensive care unit (ICU) are currently in stable condition — one of which has been extubated, Javier added.
Javier said MMC’s current manpower is currently over 700 physicians.
The MMC medical director likewise took note of Senator Koko Pimentel’s earlier “blunder” at the hospital, saying this “galvanized even more public support for healthcare professionals in the Philippines.”
“The blunder on a politician’s part proved to be a much-needed spark that fired more convictions in support of healthcare professionals — including the epicenter of the fiasco, Makati Medical Center,” he said.
“We continue to celebrate each other’s life — as we wake up early to face the challenge anew. Stay safe. God bless,” Javier added.
The Philippines has recorded 1,546 cases of COVID-19, including 78 fatalities, as of Monday afternoon.