NCMH: 17 patients, 71 employees test positive for coronavirus

National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City. Photo By Tetch Torres-Tupas / INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Seventeen in-patients and 71 employees of the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Roland Cortez, NCMH chief, said in a press briefing Tuesday that of 11 employees have so far have recovered.

Six of the 17 infected patients have died while one has recovered.

“I would like to explain na ‘yung mga nasa (that our) psychiatric in-patients natin are all here at the isolation room of Pavilion 7 that is our general hospital and that is mainly for the treatment and isolation of our in-patient psychiatric patients,” he said.

Fifty-five of the NCMH employees are still under home quarantine, while the other five are admitted in two other hospitals.

Nationwide, the number of individuals who have been infected with the virus has reached 7,777 as of Monday afternoon. This figure includes 511 who have died, and 932 who have recovered.

GSG