Health workers infected with COVID-19 now at 1,819 –DOH

The number of healthcare workers in the Philippines who have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) climbed to 1,819, a health official said Tuesday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that of the infected workers, 350 had recovered while 34 had died.

The remaining 1,435 were active cases or undergoing treatment or home quarantine.

Of this number, 440 were asymptomatic, 986 were mild cases, while nine were in severe condition.

Among the infected healthcare workers were 590 doctors, 685 nurses, 107 nursing assistants, 70 medical technologists, 34 radiologic technologists, 20 respiratory therapists, 21 midwives, 15 pharmacists, and 277 other frontline workers.

The DOH earlier said that health workers make up nearly 20 percent of the total COVID-19 cases in the country.

The World Health Organization had also said that the number of COVID-19 deaths among healthcare professionals were “worrisome.”

Meanwhile, the DOH encouraged qualified health workers to apply for their emergency hiring program to augment the workforce as COVID-19 cases continued to mount nationwide.

Interested medical professionals may go to www.bit.ly/EmergencyHiringFAQs for more information. — DVM, GMA News