FIGHT VS. COVID. Photo shows the contact tracing team of the Aklan Provincial Health Office for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Dr. Cornelio Cuachon (second from right) reported on Friday (April 3, 2020) that the 18 front-liners at Ciriaco S. Tirol Hospital in Boracay Island finished their 14-day quarantine and await testing for the disease. (PNA photo courtesy of Dr. Cornelio Cuachon)
ILOILO CITY – Eighteen front-liners at Ciriaco S. Tirol Hospital in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan have completed their 14-day quarantine on Thursday, the Aklan Provincial Office said.
Dr. Cornelio Cuachon, Aklan provincial health officer, said on Friday the hospital still cannot operate since the front-liners still wait for the testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) scheduled Sunday.
“The hospital is still close because our front-liners are still there. We want to make sure that they are safe from the disease before we open the hospital,” he said in a phone interview.
The testing will be facilitated by the Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6). Cuachon said the swab samples will be brought and tested at the Western Visayas Medical Center on Monday.
The 18 hospital personnel were the identified close contact of a front-liner who tested positive for Covid-19 on March 27.
He said they are all currently well and the Covid-19-positive patient, a 37-year-old male, is also in stable condition at the Aklan Training Center.
“Our Covid-19-positive front-liner is still under strict quarantine at Aklan Training Center. He is awaiting repeat test for the disease,” he said.
With the temporary closure of the Ciriaco S. Tirol Hospital, the provincial health officer said that persons seeking medical consultation approach private clinics on the island.
Some also opt to travel to the mainland to be consulted at the Malay Municipal Hospital and other government hospitals in Aklan province.
As of Thursday, Aklan province has five confirmed Covid-19-positive cases. Cuachon said they all are in stable condition.
One of the positive cases in Aklan is admitted to a hospital in Roxas City, while the rest is at Dr. Rafael Tumbokon Memorial Hospital.
The province has 15 patients under investigation with mild symptoms and 288 persons under monitoring, Cuachon said.
The provincial health office continues its appeal to Aklanons to stay at home, maintain proper hygiene, and observe physical distancing measures.
“There is no local transmission in Aklan but we continue our call to the people to heed with the measures being implemented by the government,” he said. (PNA)
