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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Over 15,000 healthcare workers in PH contract COVID-19 since pandemic started

Over 15,000 healthcare workers in PH contract COVID-19 since pandemic started

Published Mar 26, 2021 05:28 pm

The number of medical frontliners who fell ill with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) already reached more than 15,000 since the pandemic struck the Philippines last year.

(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

As of March 25, the Department of Health (DOH) said that 15,662 healthcare workers tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, of which, 533 are active cases or those who are still undergoing treatment.

The DOH said that 96 percent or 15,047 out of the total number have already recovered from the viral illness.

The death toll among healthcare workers in the Philippines stood at 82, the DOH said.

Amid the surge in cases, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they observed that the number of medical frontliners afflicted with COVID-19 is starting to increase again.

“Nakikita natin ngayon yung healthcare workers natin are being infected again (We are seeing that our healthcare workers are being infected again),” said Vergeire on Friday, March 26.

“Ngayon pong Marso, nag-increase na po siya ulit. From 474 infections in February, we now have a total of 684 from March 1 to March 25. Talagang ma-expect po natin iyan kasi sila yung nag-aalaga sa taong may COVID at talagang mataas ang transmission ngayon ng sakit (This March, it increased again. From 474 infections in February, we now have a total of 684 from March 1 to March 25. We can really expect that because they are the ones who are taking care of those with COVID and the transmission of the disease is really high now),” she added.

With this, Vergeire emphasized that the healthcare workers should be the priority in the ongoing vaccination program to protect them from COVID-19.

“Kaya nga po inuulit natin, ibigay muna natin ang mga bakuna sa ating (That's why, let's give the vaccines to our) healthcare workers because they are the ones primarily affected and the ones most exposed among all of us here in the population,” she added.

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