Coronavirus infected medical frontliners in Philippines surge to 1,694
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Friday reported a spike in the number of medical frontliners who are infected with the coronavirus, worsening the struggle faced by the country’s dilapidated healthcare system that is creaking under the weight of rising infections.
As of May 1, a total of 1,694 healthcare workers in the country contracted the highly contagious coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), up from 1,619 reported in the previous day, data from the health department showed. Of those infections, 33 medical workers died while 256 recovered.
Broken down, 24 out of 566 doctors who fell ill died due to the virus while seven out of 638 infected nurses passed away. Infections were also detected among nursing assistants (104), medical technologists (66), radiologic technologists (32), respiratory therapists (18), midwives (19) and pharmacists (14).
Meanwhile, 237 others in the medical field also tested positive for the virus.
While medical workers have won praise in the country, the rising number of infections in their ranks highlights the strain they face in battling the dreaded disease amid a shortage of protective gear, manpower and testing capacity.
As of Friday afternoon, the total count of COVID-19 patients in the country jumped to 8,772. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral
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A thread of major news, developments and government pronouncements related the extended community quarantine across the country. Real-time updates about the coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines are available in this live blog. (Main image by AFP/Ted Aljibe)
The province of Laguna and the cities of Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro will be placed on lockdown until the middle of August, Malacañang announces.
"President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to place Laguna, Iloilo City and Cagayan de Oro under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beginning Aug. 6 until Aug. 15, 2021," presidential spokesman Harry Roque says in a statement.
Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro have been under the strictest quarantine classification since July 16. — The STAR/Alexis Romero
The Department of Health reports an additional 6,686 COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 1,300,349.
- Active cases: 61,345 or 4.7%% of the total
- Recoveries: 3,190, pushing total to 1,216,497
- Deaths: 196, bringing total to 22,507
President Rodrigo Duterte approves the recommendation of Cabinet members to place Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal under modified enhanced community quarantine.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque says the new quarantine measures will be imposed starting midnight of August 4 and will stay in place until August 18.
The inter-agency task force on COVID-19 imposes a moratorium on the transit of locally stranded persons in Western Visayas, Cebu island, Mactan, Eastern Visayas and Caraga.
"Wala na po silang lugar para mag-quarantine," IATF spokesperson Harry Roque says in a virtual briefing.
(They have no place to undergo quarantine anymore.)
The Department of Health announces 485 "fresh" COVID-19 cases on Sunday, June 28.
Another 168 are "late" cases, or "released to patients four days ago or more."
Most of the cases are still from the National Capital Region, with 245 "fresh" and 111 "late."
Central Visayas accounts for 120 "fresh" cases and 11 "late" ones.
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