The coronavirus outbreak is taking a heavy toll on the Philippines' health workers, who have accounted for nearly a fifth of cases.
The virus has infected 1,619 health workers, most of whom are doctors and nurses, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a live-streamed briefing on Thursday. More than 30 have died.
Health workers should follow the proper guidelines in donning and disposing personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of the virus, Vergeire said. Authorities are also looking at reducing working hours for frontliners to improve their resistance, she earlier said.
An overstretched health care system and a surge in Covid-19 cases have exposed frontliners and crippled the Philippines' virus response. There was a backlog in coronavirus testing in mid-April after more than 40 staff in the country's lead laboratory were infected.
Virus deaths show Philippines, Indonesia worst hit in region
The World Health Organization said the rising infection rate among the country's health workers is worrisome as it outpaces the rest of the region, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on April 22. Total Covid-19 cases in the Southeast Asian nation reached 8,488 as of Thursday, with 568 deaths.
