QC gov't reports 8 COVID-19 recoveries; more HOPE quarantine facilities to be added
By Chito Chavez
The Quezon City (QC) government on Sunday said that eight COVID-19 patients confined in two city-run facilities have fully recovered from the virus.
Four of the recovered patients were from the Hope I facility headed by Dr. Vince Mendoza, while the rest were from the Quezon City General Hospital (QCGH).
QCGH Director Dr. Josephine Sabando said three of the four recovered patients at QCGH were senior citizens with co-morbid disease.
According to Mendoza, “The discharged patients are all clinically improved, obtaining at least once negative COVID-19 result.”
“The number is still considerable -- worthy of quiet applause to motivate our workforce. This is our start. This is our victory,” he added.
Mendoza said the recovered patients still need to go through a 14-day home quarantine and have been advised to undergo a follow-up examination after the period.
He also renewed "calls to the public to practice proper hand hygiene, social distancing, and staying at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19."
“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. There will be setbacks and false starts, but we as a people will get there,” he added.
The city government has launched various efforts to combat COVID-19, including the establishment of Hope I and II that serve as quarantine facilities for persons under investigation (PUI) and persons under monitoring (PUM).
The Hope I caring facility is a 49-room alternative medical facility while the Hope II community caring facility is a 300-plus bed facility housed inside Quezon City University (QCU).
One hundred fifty beds in QCU were put up through a partnership between the local government and St. Theresa’s College Quezon City Batch 85, GKonomics International Inc., and Rotary International District 3780, through its governor Rep. Bernadette Herrera.
Hope II also has a separate 15-bed facility for COVID-19 positive patients donated by an anonymous donor.
The city is also set to open Hope III, an 80-bedroom hotel that will serve as a quarantine facility for PUIs and PUMs.
Hope IV, a 15-bed facility inside QCGH donated by Poveda Class 2010 in partnership with architect William Ti and WTA Architecture and Design, will also soon be opened for the care of elderly PUIs with mild symptoms.