Philippine General Hospital (PGH) workers line up to register for the COVID-19 vaccination program inside the hospital in this Feb. 9, 2021 file photo. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA -- The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it has begun hospital-level investigations to "find sources of infection and contain further spread" of COVID-19 among medical frontliners as more healthcare workers contract the disease.
All 17 DOH-retained hospitals in Metro Manila remain operational despite reports that several health facilities "have suspended operations due to increasing numbers of healthcare worker (HCW) infections," the agency said in a statement.
"Individual hospital infection control units have started hospital-level investigations," the statement read.
"Some DOH-retained hospitals have suspended elective surgeries and outpatient department (OPD) operations to ensure that the most critical services continue while HCWs recover from COVID-19," it said.
The agency said it is also providing support for healthcare workers "by facilitating hospital or isolation facility admission."
"The DOH... continues to augment hospital resources by downloading funds to the hospitals for hiring of additional personnel, purchase of medicines, and referral of patients to the appropriate facility," it said.
The statement comes after the frontliners from the Philippine Orthopedic Center appealed for help in isolating some 110 frontliners who tested positive for COVID-19.
The DOH urged medical frontliners to "get their COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible" as the more health workers continue to contract the disease a year since the pandemic began.
"The public is also called on to utilize teleconsultations for non-urgent medical needs to avoid overcrowding in hospitals and ensure that all critical patient needs are attended to," the DOH said.
On April 2, the Philippines recorded 15,310 new COVID-19 cases, a new record-high number despite the re-imposition of a lockdown in the capital region and nearby areas.
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