Around 250 healthcare workers from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to hospital spokesperson Dr. Jonas del Rosario this Saturday, January 8, 2022.
“Marami po sa aming healthcare workers ang nagkaka-COVID. Twenty-five percent po sa aming workforce ngayon ay may COVID. Napakalaki pong bilang yun lalo na sa key areas, napipilay kami,” Del Rosario said in a virtual public briefing.
[Many of our healthcare workers are COVID. Twenty-five percent of our workforce now has COVID. That number is huge, especially in key areas, we are crippled]
“Marami rin pong nagku-quarantine. Kailangang i-quarantine dahil na-expose sila. So as much as about 40 percent po ang aming workforce ang affected. Either infected or na-expose,” he added.
[Many are also quarantined. They had to be quarantined because they were exposed. So much as about 40 percent of our workforce is affected. Either infected or exposed]
The spokesperson added that they no longer quarantine asymptomatic health workers.
“Kagaya po ng suggestion ng IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force], inadopt na namin na yung lahat po ng asymptomatic na na-expose hindi na po namin sila pinagku-quarantine, basta wala po silang symptoms, tuloy lang po ang trabaho,” he added.
[As suggested by the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force], we have adopted all the asymptomatic people who have been exposed. We will no longer quarantine them, as long as they do not have symptoms, the work will continue]
“Kasi hindi po namin kayang i-quarantine ang napakaraming empleyado, doktor, nurses, at mga support staff dahil wala na pong magseserbisyo sa ospital,” he also added.
[Because we can’t quarantine so many employees, doctors, nurses, and support staff because there are no one to serve in the hospital]