Inoculated health workers contract COVID-19

TUGUEGARAO, Philippines — Thirty-one hospital workers in Ilagan, Isabela and five others including a doctor in Piat, Cagayan, who received their first dose of the COVID vaccine last month, tested positive for virus.

The Faustino Dy Sr. Memorial Hospital in Ilagan was placed under indefinite lockdown starting yesterday after its 31 healthcare workers and administrative personnel contracted COVID.

In an advisory, the provincial inter-agency task force on COVID-19 said only emergency cases and those who need to undergo dialysis would be served as the hospital undergoes disinfection.

Isabela recorded 159 new cases yesterday.

Meanwhile, Piat Mayor Carmelo Villacete said the municipal doctor tested positive yesterday.

The four other health workers tested positive last week.

They were inoculated on March 22.

Twenty other people, who contracted the virus including the assistant parish priest, agreed to be identified to hasten the conduct of contact tracing.

Among those who contracted the virus were a municipal councilor and his wife.

Aside from the assistant parish priest, a lay worker tested positive and died four days ago.

As this developed, two police officers in Central Luzon have died from COVID.

The officers, aged 48 and 53, died yesterday and on Saturday, respectively, according to Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, deputy chief for administration of the Philippine National Police.

ECQ, MECQ status sought

Several local government units are seeking to be reverted to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and ECQ status due to rising COVID cases.

The municipal government of Lal-lo in Cagayan wants to be reverted to ECQ starting today until April 26.

The local inter-agency task force recorded rising cases in 12 villages, mostly in Barangay Magapit.

The Cagayan Valley inter-agency task force is expected to decide on the request of Lal-lo this week.

Meanwhile, the municipalities of Bangar and Bauang, both in La Union, sought to be reverted to MECQ.

Gov. Emmanuel Ortega granted the requests and placed the two local government units (LGUs) under MECQ starting today until April 26.

Bangar recorded 84 new cases on Friday.

Bauang’s case surged from 96 on April 1 to 181 on Saturday.

A village in Villasis, Pangasinan was also placed under lockdown from April 10 to 20, while the municipal hall of Peñaranda in Nueva Ecija was temporarily closed due to rising COVID infections.

Travel ban extended

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has extended for another week the travel moratorium for inbound travelers in Western Viasayas.

In a letter, Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, chair of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, told Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas that the extension – from April 13 to April 19 – would give local officials time to strengthen their efforts against COVID.

The moratorium was also intended to help local officials protect their constituents from the virus and their health care system from being overwhelmed.

The initial travel moratorium in the region for people coming from the National Capital Region as well as from the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and the cities of Cebu and Davao lapsed on Saturday.

The IATF moved the period of the effectivity of the extension to give due notice to those who are planning to travel or are already traveling to the region.

In Negros Occidental, an eight-hour curfew will be imposed in all towns and cities, except Bacolod City, starting today.

The curfew will start from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. of the following day, according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.

The province recorded 176 new COVID infections on Friday. – Emmanuel Tupas, Ric Sapnu, Eva Visperas, Gilbert Bayoran