SOUTHERN Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) bared that two administrative personnel of their hospital, including a senior citizen, succumbed to coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
In an interview Wednesday, SPMC chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega told SunStar Davao the first patient died last week while the recent one perished Wednesday morning.
Vega added that they were part of the 12 frontline workers he earlier mentioned who tested positive of the virus.
“The term ‘frontliners’ was made to mean employees of a hospital,” the SPMC chief clarified.
The first admin staff who died last week, Vega said, had no travel history to other places and possibly contracted the disease while performing her duty in the hospital.
“She was a billing liaison for patients,” Vega added.
On the other hand, the other staff who died Wednesday had both a history of travel to Manila and exposure to an infected person.
Vega said both of the patients also had underlying medical conditions as both of them were diabetic and hypertensive. The first one, a 62-year-old female, had a previous lung surgery while the other one is a 57-year-old male.
Meanwhile, Vega said there are now remaining three frontliners under treatment for Covid-19, including an administrative employee and two medical nursing employees. The rest were able to recover and are now taking self-quarantine.
Most of those who recovered are only experiencing mild symptoms.
Vega assured that SPMC is providing its frontline health workers the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure their safety and protection. Their hospital employees are the most vulnerable in contracting the disease.
He added that Covid-19 testing is also continuously done. Earlier, Vega said that around 300 frontliners of SPMC were tested for coronavirus and only 12 turned out positive.
“We are the referral center for Covid and we take measures to protect ourselves and the patients we serve,” Vega said.
SPMC is the only identified hospital in Davao City allowed to cater Covid-19 positive patients.