Kalinga hospitals shut doors from Covid patients

BAGUIO CITY (September 21, 2021)— After reaching full capacity, two hospitals in Kalinga declared they can no longer admit persons infected with COVID-19.

The Kalinga Provincial Hospital (KPH) Infection Prevention Committee (IPC) in Bulanao, Tabuk City bared that it has recorded more than 90 COVID-19 patients who are currently undergoing medical treatment and management.

The IPC also disclosed that 10 of the total admission are hospital personnel who were exposed to their patients.

Earlier, 30 hospital personnel were tested positive of the virus. They are now undergoing home quarantine. Because of the situation, the hospital management directed the mass swabbing of all hospital personnel to stem possible internal transmission.

“In a view, the IPC has decided to temporarily close or suspend the admission until further notice of Covid patients due to full occupancy in the isolation facilities of the hospital,” stated the annnouncement.

The hospital management announced that the emergency room will be open  but only for Kalinga residents with emergency cases.

The consultation services of KPH’s Out Patient Department (OPD) are temporarily suspended. Services however for orthopedic patients will be selective or at the availability of the surgeons.

The Holy Trinity Medical Clinic (HTMC) also in Bulanao, Tabuk City announced that its Covid-19 facility ward is temporarily closed for admission as the facility reached its full capacity.

The management also disclosed that some of its health care workers tested positive of the virus.

HTMC is advising all suspect, probable, and confirmed Covid-19 cases to seek care in other hospitals. Non-Covid-19 cases will still be catered in HTMC.

As of September 20, 2021, the Kalinga Provincial Government confirmed that there are new seven delta variants in the province.  To date, the province has already eight delta variants.

The province is under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) alert level 4. The Provincial InterAgency Task Force (PIATF) strengthens zoning strategy to restrict the movement of the people in a bid to arrest the further spread of the virus.

Artemio A. Dumlao