2 to 5 PGH workers catch COVID-19 daily: spokesman

About 2 to 5 workers at the Philippine General Hospital test positive for the novel coronavirus, the facility's spokesman said on Wednesday. 

PGH workers take coronavirus tests every time they experience COVID-19 symptoms or have "significant exposure" to the disease, said the public hospital's spokesman Dr. Jonas Del Rosario. 
 
"At least po in a day, sometimes, mga 2 to 5 healthcare workers po would turn out to be positive," he said in a public briefing. 

"But medyo nakaka-cope naman po kami ngayon dahil mara-rami pong—naghigpit kami ng protocols at malaking bagay po iyong in-institute naming changes." 

(At least in a day, sometimes, around 2 to 5 healthcare workers would turn out to be positive. But we are coping because we tightened protocols and the changes we instituted were a big help.)

These changes include assigning safety officers to ensure compliance with protocols, and longer, 14-day quarantine for workers, and the use of N95 masks, he said. 

About 80 percent of PGH workers have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Most of those who are not yet inoculated failed to get jabs because they caught the disease or were under quarantine, Del Rosario said. 

"Maliit lang po ang porsyento na ayaw pang magpabakuna for personal reason. Napakaliit na lang po nun, wala pang 1 percent. Most of them did not get vaccinated because of the circumstances," he said. 

(The percentage of those who do not yet want to get vaccinated for personal reason is small, it's less than 1 percent.)

• About 5 COVID-19 patients die daily at PGH: spokesman