2 years of COVID-19: 1 nurse dead, 426 healthcare workers infected in Quezon hospital

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LUCENA CITY––During the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a nurse died, and 426 healthcare workers contracted COVID-19 at the provincial government-run Quezon Medical Center (QMC) in this city.

Dr. Rolando Padre, QMC director, on Friday, March 18, provided the latest tally of infected hospital workers: 78 doctors, 169 nurses, 49 nursing aides, 14 midwives, 20 porters, and encoders, 72 admin staff, six radiologic technicians, and 18 medical technologists.

He said a nurse died from a COVID-19 infection.

“As of March 17, the QMC has only one confirmed COVID-19 patient. We’re still waiting for the swab test result of another patient,” Padre said in a text message.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020.

In past interviews, Padre, a COVID-19 survivor, disclosed that the infected QMC healthcare workers were fully vaccinated and given booster shots, when these were available.

He said most infected health workers did not need hospitalization and stayed home or in isolation until they became well again.

At the onset of the pandemic, the provincial government billeted the infected health workers in at least two hotels turned into isolation and quarantine facilities.

An infected QMC staff member suspected that carriers seeking admission to QMC may have transmitted the virus.

“Most of them were not honest during the initial consultation. They tried to hide their true health condition by not fully disclosing their symptoms,” said the health worker who requested anonymity.

The informant added: “Most patients were fearful of the stigma associated with being a COVID-19 carrier.”

As of Thursday, March 17, Quezon recorded 32,821 COVID-19 cases, 31,240 recoveries, and 1,558 fatalities. INQ

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