By Francis Allan L. Angelo and Joseph B.A. Marzan
The emergency room and several departments of the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) and offices of a water distribution firm in Iloilo City were locked down due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections.
In a press conference Wednesday, WVMC Sub-National Laboratory chief pathologist Stephanie Abello said a nurse and a radiological technologist tested positive for the virus.
Abello said that the non-COVID emergency room and the radiology department are being decontaminated.
“The radiology department is on temporary lockdown because of decontamination and disinfection procedures. There is another x-ray near the [Emergency Room] which is not contaminated, so all imaging procedures are being done [there]. A portion of the ER, the non-COVID part, is also under decontamination and disinfection for the next 24 to 48 hours,” Abello said.
She said that St. Anthony and St. Augustine wards were also locked down due to the presence of confirmed COVID-19 patients.
Abello said that in the meantime, the WVMC will only accept tertiary care patients.
“The advisory as of [July 14] is that we will only accept tertiary care patients. The rest which can be done by the district hospitals, we have already coordinated with the Provincial Health Office, and we have also sent out notices that if they can do it, we will not be referred,” she said.
This is the second time that a portion of the regional hospital had been locked down due to COVID-19.
The hospital’s orthopedic ward on July 3 was shut down after a patient (WV Patient No. 360), who was originally admitted as a cardiac-related case, tested positive for the disease.
WATER FIRM LOCKDOWN
Meanwhile, Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) temporarily closed its office at the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) building in Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The temporary closure runs from July 15 to 19, 2020 to give way to disinfection and sanitation, MPIW said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
MPIW occupies the ground and second floors of the MIWD building.
MIWD, which serves as the regulator of MPIW, continues to operate on a four-day workweek setup on the third floor of its building.
“We will continue to maintain the highest of safety standards without compromising our service” the company said.
MPIW said it will implement office-wide disinfection protocols as well as contact-tracing, testing and quarantine procedures, in compliance with DOH and DOLE safety guidelines.
To avoid having to physically enter the MPIW office during the disinfection period, customers with pending bills have the option to pay through any of MPIW’s authorized collecting agents:
-M. Lhuillier Pawnshop
-RD Pawnshop
-SM Payment Centers
-ECPay
-Rural Bank of Oton
-Rural Bank of San Miguel
-Queenbank
For other service concerns, consumers may reach MPIW through its official Facebook page and customer service hotlines.
MPIW said it seeks to maintain a safe environment to prioritize the safety of its customers while delivering reliable water supply to Metro Iloilo amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
MPIW is the water distribution firm that provides water to Iloilo City, and the municipalities of Cabatuan, Leganes, Maasin, Oton, Pavia, San Miguel and Santa Barbara in Iloilo province.
It is an offshoot of the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) between the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp. and MIWD.
The JVA is a 25-year concession for the rehabilitation, expansion, and improvement of the water distribution system and wastewater management facilities of MIWD, which is a government-owned and controlled corporation.
MPIW started operations on July 1, 2019.
