18 Cebu hospital personnel contract COVID-19, operating rooms shut down

CNN Philippines – Published Jan 5, 2021 5:47:19 PM

Metro Manila — Eighteen personnel of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the hospital to close down its operating rooms for disinfection.

A clustering of cases in the operating room was detected resulting in 18 infections, according to an official statement released by the hospital on Tuesday. Among those infected were four doctors, seven were nurses, two nursing attendants, and five institutional workers.

The hospital said 10 of the personnel are asymptomatic, while eight are experiencing mild symptoms. All of them are in stable condition, it added.

All operating rooms in the hospital will be shut down from Jan. 5 to 7 for decontamination. However, emergency surgical procedures will still be accommodated, the hospital said.

“With this, all elective surgeries shall be temporarily suspended except for emergency surgeries that shall be accommodated by this medical center following prioritization of patients’ policy and implementation of strict infection prevention and control protocols,” the advisory read.

The country now has a total of 448,375 coronavirus cases nationwide, with the death toll reaching 9,321.

SOURCE: https://cnnphilippines.com/regional/2021/1/5/18-Cebu-hospital-personnel-contract-COVID-19-.html