Tacloban traces contacts of infected health workers

THE CITY  government has started tracing the close contacts of 15 health workers at the regional and provincial hospitals here who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).   

In a press briefing Thursday, Mayor Alfred Romualdez said he instructed the city health office and the police to identify the family members and all the close contacts of the patients in their respective residences, so they could immediately be isolated.

Romualdez said they are still waiting for the full report and will confirm first if there has been a local transmission outside of the hospital facility before deciding whether to place the city under a lockdown or not.

“For now, I don’t see locking down the city. If no close contacts outside the facility caught the virus then we are okay, but we have to trace and isolate them first for proper monitoring and management,” he added.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported that 18 health workers at the Eastern Visayas Medical Center here and four at the Leyte Provincial Hospital in nearby Palo, Leyte, have tested positive for Covid-19.

The DOH said 15 of them are residents of Tacloban City, two from Palo, and one each from Dulag, Babatngon, Alangalang, Julita, and Tolosa towns in Leyte.

Romualdez expressed concern on the EVRMC’s decision to temporarily stop admitting new patients for an indefinite time, saying it is the only tertiary level hospital in the region most accessible to poor families.

“If you need to fumigate or disinfect you can do that in hours, section by section, and also don’t use the hospital for isolation,” he added.

He also clarified that these infected health workers fall under the management of EVRMC and said this could have been prevented if the hospital management strictly followed the protocols.

“Because of these lapses, our people have to suffer. We are not a rich region and we can’t afford this kind of mistake. The patients who come to this hospital don’t have coronavirus but the normal ailments,” Romualdez said.

“And to all the people of Tacloban, protect yourself. You can’t protect others if you can’t protect yourself. Do not be complacent,” he added.

Since the outbreak, the city has confirmed a total of 21 cases, all active, based on the DOH monitoring report. (By Gerico Sabalza)