COVID-19 survivor: Doctor ups awareness on gaps in testing for disease

MANILA, Philippines — Though recovery was quick for him, navigating the public health system proved a challenge for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) survivor, Dr. Joey Hernandez.

Learning he was positive for the disease was difficult – not just because he had been infected, but also because of the hoops he had to go through to get his results.

He recounted on Facebook on March 31 that he learned of his results after taking the test 13 days ago, despite being told it would be sent in three days.

Hernandez, a public health practitioner, also had to tap connections to get the information because he received differing instructions from the hospital where he got swabbed, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and Department of Health (DOH).

“If this were someone with no connections in hospitals or in DOH… how will they know if they are positive?” he wondered in his post.

Power of social media

Hernandez, who is PH 1264, explained to INQUIRER.net that he made the Facebook post because he has contacts from DOH and hoped his message would reach them.

“I know people who are decision-makers and movers on a national level can hear me,” he said.

He has since received feedback that DOH was aware of the issue prior to his post and that his concern has been a part of discussions.

Meanwhile, RITM informed him that they had a Facebook post on numbers to reach for test results.

“Pero ‘yong post hindi siya masyado na-share, na-disseminate,” he said. (But that post was not shared or disseminated well.)

Hernandez explained, too, that the NCR office of DOH is simply overburdened. According to him, the central office delegated the NCR office to do the swabs.

“And I think they’re really swamped because 80% of the cases of COVID are in NCR,” he noted.

After seeing the impact of his post, he advised: “Use social media to call out if there is something we feel na hindi tama (that is wrong). We can demand accountability. And it has been effective.”

He stressed, too, that it must be used responsibly. “We have seen the power of social media. We must share verified, vetted information. Very important that we allay panic, fear, and anxiety.”

Barriers to testing

Hernandez was able to get better at home through symptomatic treatment, so by the time he found out he had COVID-19, he had already recovered.

He still does not know how he was infected.

“No travel, no patients, no anyone positive within the timeframe,” he said.

“When I felt the first symptom of fever… inisolate ko na self ko (I isolated myself),” he said.

The next day, on March 17, he consulted a doctor who gave him medicine for symptoms, particularly paracetamol for fever and a 7-day antibiotic course for sore throat. He also took the COVID-19 swab test then.

For him, it was as if he had the flu and the symptoms were gone in about five days.

“Symptoms ko mild lang. Swerte lang ako, blessed. (My symptoms were mild. I was lucky, blessed.) It may be different for others who experienced the worst in the spectrum,” he said.

He got his results on March 30 and was advised to take a test the next day, since it was 14 days after he was first swabbed. He had to take two swabs to confirm that he no longer had the disease and is awaiting results.

The first time around, his barangay in Quezon City was able to bring him to the hospital. However, the second swab was delayed due to logistical issues. He had the option from DOH to have the swab taken from him from the comforts of his home, or for the Quezon City local government unit (LGU) to take the swab or for him to go to the hospital to do it.

Though he wanted to seek help from the LGU, he knew they were overwhelmed as well and so he decided he would try going to the hospital on his own. This meant having to figure out his mode of transportation, and going as far as crowdsourcing for a motorcycle he could borrow on Facebook.

“Ang mahirap lang (What is hard) with this ECQ, if you do not have the capacity to transport yourself to the hospital to get tested, mahirap (it’s hard). To the point I considered [walking] to Lung Center. ‘Yon ang isang (That is one) struggle with that.”

Perhaps because he is in the public health sector, he understands the backlog even if he sees the pain points.

“QC is a rich city, it has a separate CESU (City Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit), but ‘yun namalas ako yata (I was unlucky). Quezon City has the most number of cases nationwide,” he noted.

“They have been really contacting me, calling me, explaining they are swamped,” he said of the city’s efforts in getting him tested.

DOH ‘working hard’

After voicing his complaint, his post received attention from people disgruntled with DOH. He hopes to clarify that based on his work with them, the health agency has been exerting all its efforts against the pandemic.

As the secretary-general of the Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians, he works with DOH to give technical assistance to LGUs. “We are closely connecting with them and they are really working hard.”

He also said the LGU has a major role in tackling the disease.

“Even if DOH says this, if your mayor does not see the value in it, it may hinder how we respond to COVID. It may also catalyze how we respond efficiently to COVID. Hindi lang si DOH ang key player, hindi lang si RITM (The key player is not just DOH or RITM). There’s also LGU.”

Misconceptions on COVID-19

After having the infectious respiratory illness, Hernandez witnessed for himself the stigma of contracting COVID-19, as well as the helpful response of those in his community.

Because he and his sister were not allowed to leave their condominium unit while in quarantine, the building owners offered their help. They did their grocery and had someone to push elevator buttons for them if they had to go to the hospital.

He likewise saw the fear that others had about the disease. He recalled one instance at the hospital, where a security guard asked if he was a patient. Hernandez informed him hat he was positive for COVID-19. The guard got angry and told him not to joke around, even if Hernandez was wearing a mask.

“So baka sa kanya (So maybe for him), COVID presents as a death sentence. May disconnect. Lumalakad, tumatakabo, sobrang happy pero (WAlkig, running, too happy but) COVID positive,” he observed.

His dad, too, was in denial when he told him of his results. “Papa ko, una niyang narinig sabi, ‘Nagjo-joke ka na naman.’” (My dad when he first heard it he said, “You’re joking again.”)

“Ang tingin niya din (His perspective), as a non-medical person, it is a death sentence, na parang (that it’s as if) ‘Oh my god, I’m losing my son’,” he said.

Hernandez nevertheless emphasized, “Although there are certain population groups that are high risk, hindi siya (it is not a) death sentence.”

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