THE rise of coronavirus infections in Barangay Sambag 2, Cebu City should not be blamed solely on the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and its medical staff who are living in the area, said VSMMC medical chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino.
Aquino made the statement Monday, June 8, during the Mugstoria Ta of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas after Sambag 2 barangay captain Ryan Aznar expressed his concern over the presence of VSMMC frontliners in the village, which now has around 70 Covid-19 cases.
Some VSMMC frontliners are reportedly renting rooms in Barangay Sambag 2.
According to Aznar, they traced around 20 VSMMC frontliners who had tested positive for the new virus.
He added that there were barangay residents who went to the VSMMC outpatient department for consultation or had given birth at the hospital and tested positive for coronavirus.
But Aquino said it would be unfair to blame these transmissions solely on VSMMC.
“Dili fair to say, sala namo ng naka-infect (It’s not fair to say that it’s our fault there are infections). It’s already confirmed there are already local transmission,” he stressed.
He clarified that their obstetricians require Covid tests on pregnant women who go to VSMMC to deliver their babies shortly after they are admitted.
“The swab was done within minutes of admission,” Aquino pointed out, adding that when they get the swab test results after two days, some were found positive.
He also said that not all who are infected with Sars-Cov-2 show respiratory symptoms.
Studies have shown that asymptomatic cases or those who do not show any symptoms of Covid-19 also cause the spread of the virus.
He also said that the VSMMC personnel who are directly involved in caring for Covid-19 patients have been housed in a dorm and only return to their homes every two weeks.
“It turned out nga ang napositive kadtong wala maghandle ug Covid positive (It turned out that those who were not handling Covid-19 patients were the ones who tested positive),” he said.
Lawyer Floro Casas, Cebu City administrator, said Mayor Edgardo Labella has agreed to set up a dorm for the VSMMC frontliners, as requested by Aznar.
Casas told Mugstoria Ta that they are now looking at hotels that could provide initially 25 beds for the VSMMC staff. (PR)