Man positive for COVID gets jab, causes panic on health workers
TANZA, Cavite – A man who tested positive for COVID-19 and was able to get vaccinated despite his condition has caused panic in health workers in this town.
Tanza Rural Health Unit head Dr. Ruth Punzalan said the man is already in isolation.
Punzalan said the man, a resident of the municipality, did not tell the medical frontliners that he underwent a swab test after experiencing COVID symptoms.
“One male vaccine did not tell the truth that he underwent a swab test on August 17 before he went to the mobile vaccination site on August 18,” Punzalan said.
“Before you go for vaccination, make sure you are in good health and tell the truth while undergoing counseling, registration and screening.
One of the questions is do you have a close contact? May signs ka ba or has symptoms? Inuubo, sinisipon or sumasakit ang ulo or na-swab ka ba prior ka pumunta dito,” she said.
“Usually the answer is no. So he was vaccinated. He has already met those in the registration, those in line at the vaccination site, so the advice of RHU Tanza is to tell the truth during the screening, just in case if you are asymptomatic, tell the truth that you have undergone RT PCR test,” Punzalan added.
The RHU immediately conducted a contact tracing and as a result, 18 nurses and midwives, and 28 others in the vaccination centerm where the man got his jab, were ordered subjected to a swab test.
Punzalan said to avoid further spread of the infection, the RHU reduced the numbers of their target vaccinations from 1,000 to 600 persons per day.
The RHU head added that more than 30 health workers in the municipality caught COVID-19, the latest of which were 10 of her nurses and midwives who are now undergoing quarantine.
