Philippines: Nine doctors die from COVID-19, medics complain about lack of protection

Philippines top medical association on March 26 announced that nine doctors have died from coronavirus. According to reports, the country’s hospitals were overwhelmed and medical professionals complained of lack of protection on the front lines of the fight against the deadly virus. The announcement of the doctor’s deaths has heightened fears about the exact scale of the virus in the country.

Hospitals at capacity

The main island of Luzon which is home to 55 million people is in its second week of the lockdown in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. As per reports, medical professionals have warned that there will be a surge in coronavirus cases. Benito Atienza, vice president of the Philippine Medical Association claims that medical professionals like doctors and nurses that were on the frontlines should be tested for the virus first as they can be carriers too. He also added that they should be tested again, seven days after the first test.

According to reports, three large hospitals in Manila have announced that they have reached capacity and thus will not and can not accept more coronavirus patients. The hospitals also claimed that hundreds of medical staff would no longer be accepting patients after suspected exposure forced them into 14-day quarantine.

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#NoToVIPTesting

Amid coronavirus outbreak, several netizens called out the Philippines government officials and senators who were tested for the virus despite being asymptomatic. The hashtag #NoToVIPTesting was trending on Twitter on March 22 as netizens protested against politicians who were tested even though the number of test kits in the country was limited. Internet users also accused politicians of disregarding the Department of Health’s (DOH) triage algorithm for the disease. 

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