ILOILO City – Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district resumed full operations yesterday. The lockdown of the hospital’s four areas was already lifted, according to Dr. Stephanie Abello, chief pathologist of WVMC sub-national laboratory where the region’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tests are conducted.
“Ang last nga gin-lift ang St. Augustine kag St. Anthony wards. Ang [lockdown sa] radiology department na-lift na sang Saturday and emergency room sang Sunday,” Abello told Panay News.
Earlier last week, three employees of the hospital got infected with COVID-19.
Of the three infected personnel, one was a nurse assigned in a non-COVID emergency room, one was a radiologist and another was an institutional worker.
The lockdown was a precautionary measure, said Abello, against the spread of the viral illness.
It also gave WVMC time to disinfect and roll out contact tracing, she added.
Over 51 contacts of the three WVMC personnel were traced and specimens were collected from them for analysis. Their confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results were released a few days after.
“Wala naman sang may nagdugang nga nag-positive from WVMC,” Abello said.
Earlier, DOH-6 director Dr. Marlyn Convocar issued this public advisory: “The public is hereby advised to immediately contact DOH Western Visayas, the City Health Office and/or their respective local government units through Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams if they have visited the above-mentioned health facility from June 23-28.”
Those identified as close contacts of the doctors were require to undergo strict home quarantine and isolation for 14 days.
“Any flu-like symptoms such as fever, difficulty of breathing, and/or cough should be immediately consulted with physicians or reported to the nearest health facility. Confirmatory testing for close contacts shall follow DOH Department Memorandums 2020-0258,” according to Convocar.
Close contacts are individuals who had lived with, cared for, traveled with, or transacted with a confirmed case who has:
* direct physical contact with a confirmed cases
* face-to-face contact with a confirmed case for at least 15 minutes
* was with a confirmed case in an enclosed space for at least two hours
* direct care for a patient with probable or confirmed COVID-19 disease without using proper personal protective equipment.
To recall, a portion of WVMC’s medical/surgical ward went on a one-day lockdown on July 10 after a 13-year-old boy patient tested positive for COVID-19.
Also, more than two week ago, a portion of the hospital’s orthopedic ward was locked down after a 72-year-old male patient from Igbaras, Iloilo was found infected with COVID-19./PN
