102 health workers from Eastern Visayas have COVID-19

TACLOBAN CITY –– At least 102 health workers from Eastern Visayas have been infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) since last month.

In a virtual presser on Wednesday, Dr. Minerva Molon, director of the Department of Health in the region, said 21 of these health workers have recovered, while 81 were still admitted at various quarantine facilities.
All of them were asymptomatic.

Molon, however, did not reveal the specific jobs of the health workers who were infected with the virus, although earlier reports stated that some involved doctors and nurses at various public hospitals like the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC).

“Yes, it is alarming but these health workers were assigned in different hospitals and health centers and not just in one area,” she said.

Molon assured the public that the delivery of the health system in the region would not be affected or paralyzed.

Based on their assessment, Molon said the health workers acquired the virus since they did not practice the correct wearing of their personal protective equipment, and sometimes forgot to wear face mask and observe proper physical distancing.

“These are now being corrected to ensure that no new health worker would be infected,” she said.

On Wednesday, Molon announced five new cases of COVID-19 in the region. Two involved health workers from the towns of Palompon and Alangalang, both in Leyte. The region now has 532 COVID-19 cases.

LZB