MANILA — The Department of Health on Thursday said the percentage of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines involving health workers continues to go down.

“Mula sa pagkatapos ng April, nakikita nating pababa na ang health care worker infections,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a televised briefing.

(Since the end of April, we have seen the decline of health care worker infections.)

“Mula po sa 19.96% na infected health care workers noong April 30 ay bumaba po ito ng 9.25% noong June 29. And as of July 7, nasa 7.45% na lamang po tayo,” she added.

(From 19.95% of infected health care workers on April 30, the percentage declined to 9.25% on June 29. And as of July 7, it is only at 7.45%.)

Vergeire said the DOH will continue to work with hospitals in ensuring that health workers will remain safe.

She said they will also continue to purchase and distribute personal protective equipment (PPE).

“Ang striktong pagpapatupad ng infection prevention and control measures para sa hospital settings ay pinapaigting natin upang bumaba pa po ang kaso sa ating health care workers,” she said.

(We are intensifying the strict implementation of infection prevention and control measures in hospital settings to further bring down the number of cases among health care workers.)

When the outbreak started in the Philippines, a number of hospitals did not have enough PPEs, resulting in health workers using DIY protective gear using household materials such as trash bags.

• READ: Due to lack of protective equipment, health workers resort to grocery bags, helmets for protection

The World Health Organization expressed worry over the high rate of health workers contracting the disease in the country back in April.

• READ: Health workers in Philippines catching COVID-19 'worrisome': WHO official

As of July 5, the Philippines has recorded 3,513 health workers to have been sick with COVID-19. A total of 2,643 of them have already recovered while 34 have died.

The majority of 1,244 are nurses, while 875 are doctors. The rest are other health facility workers.