111 children in QC orphanage got COVID-19, says Mayor Belmonte

A total of 111 children are among the 143 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in an orphanage in Quezon City,  Mayor Joy Belmonte reported Thursday.

In a 24 Oras report by Emil Sumangil, Belmonte said the Gentle Hands Orphanage in Barangay Bagumbuhay has a total of 168 occupants.

Belmonte earlier in the day said 122 people tested positive, including 99 children.  Of the 99, 51 are from two to 10 years old and 48 are from 11 to 18 years old.  The remaining 23 individuals were adults.

According to Dr. Rolando Cruz, Quezon City's Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) chief, an asymptomatic adult allegedly visited the orphanage and unknowingly brought the virus, which 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,” Cruz said.

(Closed long term facilities should maintain their strict protocols because one case could easily infect all the others.)

This was denied by Charity Graff, executive director of Gentle Hands Inc., saying they have not received any visitor at all.

On the other hand, Belmonte said, “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 strongly warn that non-compliance or non-implementation of minimum public health protocols is in violation of RA 11332. Persons in authority should be strict in implementing it so we could prevent the spread of the virus.)

Belmonte said her office already attended to the needs of the facility by sending paracetamol, vitamins, hygiene kits, face masks, alcohol, and food packs.

She also instructed the CESU to closely monitor the patients' health, especially that of the children, and to conduct swab testing and contact tracing. 

"Rather than take out the positive patients in 73% of the total population while the testing is still ongoing... the CESU endorsed this to the barangay as a 'special concern lockdown,' this is our version of the granular lockdown," Belmonte said in an earlier interview with Super Radyo dzBB.

She said those who tested negative without symptoms, as well as those who tested negative but with symptoms were separated in other rooms of the private facility.

"The recommendation is to keep everyone inside the facility and just separate them according to their health status," Belmonte said. 

No visitor

In a statement, Graff said no asymptomatic person visited their facility that resulted to the outbreak.

"It is not true that an asymptomatic visitor spread the virus because we have not received any visitors at all, due to the fact that some of the children are immunocompromised and we have prohibited non-members of the staff from going inside the facility," said Graff.

"While it is true that several individuals have tested positive in our facility, the source of the infection is still being traced," she added.

She said the patients exhibiting varying degrees of symptoms are already being managed.

Graff said they do not wish for the alleged dissemination of "wrongful information" as they have been following strict health protocols "beyond the minimum" to protect their staff and the children, and they have been under quarantine for 540 days.

She added that no person went in or out of their facility prior to the vaccination of their staff in August 2021.

"In the discussion with the Quezon City Government, we were directed not to disclose the situation publicly, and we have faithfully complied with this directive. However, recent inaccurate news, made without verification with us, have left us no choice but to publicly clarify matters. We are very concerned because we are a child caring agency and we have exerted all efforts to protect the privacy of our children," the agency said.

3 staff went out

Belmonte said the first positive case in the orphanage was recorded on August 19, 2021, but it was not immediately reported to them.

The orphanage had not been allowing visitors, until some of its staff went out of the compound for their vaccination in August.

"Our CESU found out that three of their staff went out for their vaccination. That is the only time that their staff came out from the orphanage because the facility is a bubble. The suspicion of CESU is one of the staff already had the virus," Belmonte said.

"When the staff returned to the orphanage, the staff probably infected other people," she added.

The legal counsel of the orphanage said they are already investigating to find out the cause of the spread of the virus.

"We have not received any visitors at all, due to the fact that some of the children are immunocompromised and we have prohibited non-members of the staff from going inside the facility. We had no person going in or out," said Atty. Christina Balajadia, legal counsel of the Gentle Hands orphanage.

"Gentle Hands is equipped to treat the patients, and we have several doctors and medical professionals coordinating with us," Balajadia added.

The Quezon City LGU had implemented a 14-day lockdown in the area.LBG/RSJ/AOL/LDF, GMA News