The Department of Health (DOH) issued a reminder following the reported death of a patient with birth complications after six hospitals refused admission. “Ang mga pampublikong ospital ay hindi dapat humihingi ng deposito. Samantalang ang pribadong ospital ay dapat munang bigyan ng emergency treatment ang isang pasyente bago ito irefer sa pampublikong ospital kung kinakailangan (Public hospitals must not require a deposit while private hospitals must provide emergency treatment before referring a patient to public hospitals when needed),” DOH USec. Maria Rosario Vergeire pointed out.
Vergeire said those who will experience the same incident may inform the agency by calling its hotline at 02-894-COVID or 1555.
Meanwhile, the DOH is currently studying the possible reinfection of COVID-19 following the incident at the Southern Philippines Medical Center where two patients who have already tested negative for the disease turned out positive again after a 14-day home quarantine.
Vergeire said there is no sufficient evidence on the matter, and the PCR test might have detected the remnants of the dead virus which is not contagious. The protocols on recovered patients remain.
There is still no vaccine for COVID-19 as it would take one to one and a half year to develop one. There are currently six candidate vaccines for COVID-19 being studied by experts around the world. The said vaccines will undergo four stages including research and development that may last for six months, and will undergo three clinical trials to determine its efficacy and safety.
As of Monday, 70 more patients have recovered from the disease in the country, bringing the total recoveries to 932. The death toll is now at 511 as 10 new fatalities have been reported. The total number of COVID-19 cases has reached 7,777 as the health department reported 198 new cases. The total number of healthcare workers with COVID-19 has risen to 1,235 and 27 have died. – Report from Mark Fetalco
