122 test positive for coronavirus in QC orphanage

MANILA – 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 18 and below, according to the Quezon City government on Thursday.

Dr. Rolly Cruz, chief of QC Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU), said an asymptomatic adult allegedly visited the orphanage and unknowingly brought the virus that caused the outbreak.

“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 entry of a 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 reiterates 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,)” said Mayor Joy Belmonte.

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)”.

The city government ordered swab tests for 143 individuals from the Gentle Hands Orphanage, which yielded 118 positive results, plus the four index cases.

Testing was conducted on September 6 and the results were released the following day.