Laguna birthing home shut down as more docs, hospital staff fall ill

SAN PEDRO CITY –– The latest surge in the number of people infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (Calabarzon) included doctors and medical front liners.

In Biñan City, Laguna, a birthing home was “closed until further notice,” the city health office said.

A subsequent city government announcement late Thursday said four of its latest COVID-19 patients were healthcare workers.

One of them, a 40-year-old female from Barangay Tubigan, died weeks after she first developed symptoms of the disease on March 13.

The other two medical workers are admitted in hospitals, while one is under home quarantine.

In Dasmariñas City, Cavite, surgeon Ronaldo Mateo, 47, succumbed to the disease, as confirmed by the Emilio Aguinaldo College Medical Center.

Dasmariñas lone district Rep. Elpidio Barzaga said the city would name after Mateo the operating room complex of the Pagamutan ng Dasmariñas in honor of the hospital’s pioneering doctor and head surgeon.

Total cases

The Department of Health on Friday said 628 people in the region had contracted the virus based on its records as of 3 p.m. April 16. Seventy-seven had died, while 46 have recovered.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 patients remained highest in Rizal province, at 215, of whom 26 had died.

In Cavite, which recently started the mass testing of suspected virus carriers, health authorities recorded 123 confirmed patients, 17 of whom had died.

Surge in key cities

The number of patients increased notably in Laguna, with 178. The spike was recorded in key cities like San Pedro, with 31 patients, five of whom had died.

Across Laguna, 14 people had died, while 14 had also recovered, the DOH said.

In Batangas, 71 people have been infected, while in Quezon, 41 people had tested positive for the virus.

LZB