Cebu City is facing another health issue after 132 medical personnel of different hospitals tested positive for COVID-19 amid the current lack of health frontline workers in the city.
Current records show that 131 of the workers have been vaccinated, and that 90% of them are asymptomatic for the disease.
Councilor Joel Garganera, Cebu City Emergency Operation Center chief, said the majority of their nurses are working 12 to 24 hours due to the volume of patients being admitted to hospitals. He added that their resident physicians are also working from 24 to 48 hours.
Cebu City Health Office head Dr. Jeffrey Ibones urged the public to remain compliant with minimum health protocols despite getting vaccinated for COVID-19.
The city has recorded 779 new cases during the first three days of August, bringing the total active cases to 3,054. Authorities are also alarmed by reported fatalities which reached 30 during the same period.
“Just imagine if we have to maintain 11 deaths in a day, at the end of the month, we have more than 300,” Garganera said.
Healthcare capacity
The Department of Health (DPH) Region 7 will be sending 200 health workers to the city, including nurses, to augment its health system capacity.
Temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs), barangay isolation centers, and mega isolation centers have been prepared due to the Delta variant threat.
The Cebu City Medical Center is also being readied for the admission of non-COVID patients who cannot be accommodated by other hospitals.
“The marching order is to have the ground floor, second floor, and the third floor to be operational and functional and that would be this coming Monday,” Cebu City acting Mayor Michael Rama said.
Councilor Garganera, likewise, said patients will also be admitted to the Cebu City Quarantine Center (CCQC) to prevent patients from waiting outside hospital buildings.
Meanwhile, data show that 122,693 have been vaccinated in the city, with around 81,000 considered as fully vaccinated. Around 450,000 individuals have also registered to be master listed for the vaccination program. – Report from John Aroa/PTV Cebu/AG-rir
