NKTI retains longer quarantine period for healthcare workers

Healthcare workers of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) with COVID-19 will be quarantined for a minimum of seven days to protect the hospitals’ more vulnerable patients, an official said Thursday.

NKTI executive director Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete issued the remark after the government approved shortened isolation and quarantine periods for fully vaccinated health workers infected with or exposed to COVID-19.

“Alam mo, dahil alam namin na mabilis kumalat ito at sa proteksyon ng mga pasyente din who are immunocompromised, hindi namin sinunod ‘yung five days,” Rosete-Liquete told Super Radyo dzBB.

(We know that the virus spreads fast and for the protection of our patients who are immunocompromised, we did not follow the five days.)

“Mag-ano kami, seven days asymptomatic ka na at mag-swab ka. Hindi puwede hindi mag-swab. So seven days ang aming minimum,” she added.

(You will be quarantined for seven days and then get a swab test. Swab test is mandatory. So seven days is the minimum.)

Under the new guidelines, fully vaccinated healthcare workers with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic or have mild to moderate symptoms may be quarantined for at least five days.

Meanwhile, fully vaccinated healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 cases need not undergo quarantine.

A total of 531 healthcare workers of NKTI have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of January, according to Rosete-Liquete.

Of this, 90 are undergoing quarantine at a facility while 400 are undergoing home quarantine.

Meanwhile, the hospital has around 110 patients.

For the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center (ARMC), medical chief Dr. Imelda Mateo said the hospital is considering shortening the quarantine to five days for the asymptomatic healthcare workers.

Mateo said the hospital is still awaiting the final department circular.

“It really is, sa tingin namin, may exigency of service na compromised na ang workforce, especially in the frontline. We are considering shortening it to five days but that’s for the asymptomatic,” she said.

(We really think there is exigency of service and workforce is compromised, especially in the frontline. We are considering shortening it to five days but that’s for the asymptomatic.)

At present, the hospital has 167 COVID-positive healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, ARMC has 130 admitted patients, of which 125 are positive for COVID-19 and five are suspected cases.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has stressed that the shortened isolation for medical frontliners is not absolute but discretionary.

The Department of Health (DOH) has also recently disclosed policies cutting the isolation and quarantine periods for confirmed cases and close contacts of the general public amid the increasing number of cases. —KBK, GMA News