40 RITM Staff Have Tested Positive for COVID-19

40 employees from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) have tested positive for COVID-19, said RITM Director Celia Carlos on April 20.

This follows after an employee tested positive on April 4. The hospital has since conducted contact tracing and tested those who interacted with the first case.

Not all the positive cases show symptoms. “Kahit wala namang symptoms 'yong mga na-expose, some of them turned out positive also,” Carlos told DZMM. Most of the cases are asymptomatic and are currently quarantined at the RITM dormitory.

Carlos said most of the hospital’s cases were community infections. Those who show symptoms must undergo repeat tests, while those who show no symptoms are only required to undergo the 14-day quarantine.

RITM is considered to be one of the country’s biggest COVID-19 testing centers, with 34,350 tests conducted since the virus first hit the Philippines.

Main image from Pexels.