Facade of the Gentle Hands Orphanage (Photo grabbed from Gentle Hands Orphanage website)
MANILA (UPDATED) – A total of 122 people, mostly children, at the Gentle Hands Orphanage in Barangay Bagumbuhay in Quezon City have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Of those found infected, 99 are children aged 17 and below, according to the Quezon City government on Thursday.
Dr. Rolly Cruz, chief of QC Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU), said three male staff allegedly went out of the orphanage to get their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine last Aug. 13.
After six days, he said that one of the children developed symptoms.
This was contrary to their initial report that an asymptomatic adult allegedly visited the orphanage and unknowingly brought the virus.
The Gentle Hands Orphanage has a total of 163 residents, including both children and personnel.
The city government swab tested 143 individuals from the orphanage.
Results released on Sept. 7 showed that 118 individuals yielded positive test results while 25 individuals tested negative.
In addition, there are four index cases, bringing the total positive cases to 122.
However, a total of 14 children aged 0 -1 and two children between 3-10 years old were not swabbed.
Of the institution's 32 staff, CESU said that five are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 while 19 received only the first dose, and eight are waiting for their schedules.
“Kailangang mapanatili ng mga ganitong closed long-term care facilities ang mahigpit na protocols dahil kahit isang kaso lang ang makapasok sa kanila ay madaling mahahawa ang lahat (Closed long-term care facilities such as this should be able to strictly impose the protocols because even a single positive case may already infect everyone),” Cruz said.
Mayor Joy Belmonte said the city government immediately sent paracetamol, vitamins, hygiene kits, face masks, alcohol, and food packs to the orphanage.
She ordered the CESU to closely monitor everyone’s health, most especially the children, and also conduct active surveillance of all the other closed-setting facilities in the city such as nursing homes.
Belmonte reiterated her call for the strict implementation and observance of minimum health and safety protocols, especially since Covid-19 cases are rising due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.
“Mariin nating ipinapaala na ang hindi pagsunod o hindi pagpapatupad ng minimum public health protocols ay paglabag sa RA 11332. Dapat maging mahigpit ang ating persons in authority sa pagpapatupad nito para maiwasan natin ang pagkalat ng virus (We are reminding everyone that non-compliance to the minimum public health protocols is a violation of RA 11332,)” Belmonte said.
Republic Act 11332 or “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act” aims to protect people from public health threats through the efficient and effective disease surveillance of diseases of public health concern.
Belmonte added that the outbreak could have been prevented and “the children could have been saved from the life-threatening risks of Covid-19 (if the health protocols have been strictly observed)". (PNA)
(Editor’s note: This story updates the first statement of the Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit that an asymptomatic adult allegedly visited the orphanage, causing the outbreak. The article also reflects additional reporting.)
