Binay to DOH, IATF: Protect health workers at all costs

Senator Nancy Binay on Monday urged the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to come up with a comprehensive approach that will involve the full hierarchy of infection prevention controls as well as systematic collection of data on health worker infections.

“There is a need for us to plan ahead and protect healthcare workers at any cost in case they be exposed to new infections,” she said.

Binay made the call amid news that more than 350 doctors and medical workers in Indonesia acquired the more infectious Delta variant of Covid-19, with dozens hospitalized, despite being inoculated.

“I believe we have to prepare for the possibility of our fully vaccinated healthcare workers acquiring Covid and its new variants, lalo na’t ang mga kaso ng infections are contracted in the workplace because of the high viral load,” she said.

“Sa ngayon, let’s find practical ways to protect them because if the cases reach high numbers, bukod sa kukulangin tayo ng healthworkers dahil sa posibilidad na mahawaan sila, our healthcare support system may again be overburdened or possibly collapse,” Binay said.

The senator added that while the booster shots are still pending, DOH should already set up a system to ensure that fully-vaccinated HCWs who still acquire Covid-19 and need hospitalization get full support from government.

Vaccine firms disclosed that third dose boosters that would increase antibody response are currently being developed.

“We would want the DOH to give a full commitment and specific action to better protect our essential workforce. Wag naman sana, pero kailangang nakalatag na kung paano ang gagawin in case na magkaroon ng scenario na tulad sa Indonesia,” Binay said.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)