Medical workers in low-risk areas can take 1-week rest

Hospital administrators can grant rest time to health workers if they are within areas without risk or classified as low-risk for COVID-19. It can be checked through data provided by the government

Hospitals located within areas deemed as low-risk for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can grant the “timeout” needed by their medical workers, an official from the Department of Health (DoH) said Sunday.

In a radio interview, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega welcomed Malacañang’s proposal to provide a week-long rest for health professionals but he emphasized that this should not be done in areas with high cases of COVID-19.

“Hospital administrators can grant rest time to health workers if they are within areas without risk or classified as low-risk for COVID-19. It can be checked through data provided by the government,” Vega said in an interview with DZBB.

“But those within average- risk or moderate-risk areas, as well as warning level, cannot be granted rest since we know that there could be a surge of infections anytime,” he added.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque has previously proposed a break for hospital frontliners, claiming that only about 50 percent of ward, isolation, and intensive care unit (ICU) beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are currently occupied across the country amid an infection downtrend. Philippine Hospital Association President Dr. Jaime Almora, in response, said the proposal may not be possible yet since medical workers also need to respond to the increasing number of non-coronavirus cases like heart attacks and strokes.

Should health workers be allowed to take a rest, Vega said they should be prepared to call off their break due to possible surge of COVID-19 cases.

He also acknowledged that medical professionals should be confined in spaces where they would have minimum physical interaction with others so as not to endanger the safety of their family members since they are more at risk of contracting COVID-19.

“Local government units and hospitals have agreements which identify facilities that could be used by health workers who would undergo quarantine and isolation. They could use that temporarily should administrators grant them extra time to rest and recover from exhaustion,” Vega said.

In August, medical frontliners sought a timeout and urged the government to raise the quarantine level following a surge in COVID-19 cases. This prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to revert Metro Manila and surrounding provinces under modified enhanced community quarantine for two weeks.

As of Sunday, 56 percent of ICU beds, 57 percent of isolation beds, 63 percent of ward beds, and 78 percent of ventilators remain available.

Analysts monitoring the COVID-19 tally nationwide have also observed a downward trend in the number of infections. So far, the country has tallied nearly 370,000 cases, of which 47,000 are active.

Meanwhile, Vega welcomed the proposal of Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto to designate a “vaccine czar” who would handle the “importation to injection” challenges in securing COVID-19 vaccines for the country.

“At this time, it depends on the administration, particularly on the Office of the President... Having a vaccine czar would be good to focus on execution,” he said.

The official noted that the Department of Science and Technology and the Food and Drug Administration are mandated to ensure the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines that would enter the Philippines. Vega added that the DoH serves as the “implementing arm” of President Duterte’s immunization plan.