THE Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 106 additional cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and five additional mortalities Wednesday, April 8.
This brought the total case count to 3,870, with 182 deaths as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The DOH also announced that 12 more Covid-19 patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of survivors to 96.
In a virtual press briefing, the DOH further reported that there are already 252 health care workers who have contracted the novel coronavirus, or Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.
Of the 252 confirmed cases, 12 health professionals had died, according to Beverly Ho, special assistant to DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III.
Ho said 152 of are or were doctors while 63 are nurses. Ho did not elaborate on the 37 other confirmed cases among health workers.
Meanwhile, she reminded smokers and vapers that they are more vulnerable to Covid-19 because smoking is known to weaken the immune system, thereby making it less able to respond to infections.
"We urge you to stop for the sake of your health," Ho said.
With the continued increase in Covid-19 cases, the DOH and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) have launched telemedicine services nationwide.
Telemedicine services or medical consultations over the phone, chat, short messaging services (SMS), and other audio and visual-conferencing platforms are now available nationwide for all Covid-19 related concerns.
“DOH is maximizing the use of technology to connect the public with medical professionals, allowing them to secure medical advice without leaving their homes,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.
“Even health workers can avail of these services through DOH-recognized telemedicine providers,” he added.
Duque said their collaboration with the NPC will lessen concerns on data privacy and confidentiality.
“The DOH-recognized telemedicine providers are registered entities of the NPC. All doctors providing telemedicine services are licensed and certified to provide telemedicine consultations,” Duque said.
“This service will greatly decongest our hospitals and minimize risks posed by unnecessary patient traffic,” he said. (Jove T. Moya and HDT/SunStar Philippines)