‘HELP US, STAY HOME’: COVID-positive frontliners soldier on amid challenges

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

(Iloilo City is celebrating its 83^rd Charter Day today with the theme “At the Forefront of the New Normal.” Daily Guardian pays tribute to our frontliners who keep us safe from the COVID-19 pandemic)

 

Three of the six Medical Technologists (MedTech) of the Western Visayas Medical Center Sub-National Laboratory (WVMC-SNL) in Mandurriao, Iloilo City who contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shared their stories to highlight the need for the public to cooperate.

In an interview with Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo, Joyce, Joy and Joy-Joy (not their real names) shared their conditions and their experiences as MedTechs of WVMC-SNL amid the pandemic.

Joy said she first felt sore throat and colds upon learning on Aug 11, 2020 that she tested positive for COVID-19.

She explained her situation to her family so that they would be well-informed and be less worried.

“When I first learned that I was positive, I felt some sore throat and some colds, but it’s gone now. I just explained to them well, what had happened, so that they wouldn’t panic or worry because we didn’t have severe symptoms. They accepted it, but I still made sure to explain it well to them so that they wouldn’t worry, because if it wasn’t explained well to them, they would feel differently. I assured them that we were okay,” Joy said.

Joy-Joy said she was both worried and curios, saying that they may have been infected from outside the lab since they wore complete Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while working and that there were already many cases of local transmission in Iloilo City.

“I’m just worried if they would know, they would treat you differently or stay away from you. But so far, there have been many cases like that, and if you’ve recovered, you’d be safe. We were even questioning where we got it, because we were wearing complete PPE and materials so that we wouldn’t get infected. We feel there’s a huge chance, because there’s been many local transmissions and we wouldn’t know who we would encounter and where would they go. Maybe we didn’t get it from work,” Joy-Joy said.

Joyce said it was easier for them to accept that they would be infected at some point, believing that it was part of their experience.

“As a MedTech at the SNL, before we went in, we were already looking at the prospect of getting infected because we were the ones processing the samples. That’s why we already accepted it when we tested positive, we’re just thankful that we didn’t show many symptoms, and we’re still under quarantine. We never thought of questioning why it happened to us, because we know that there is a reason why this happened. We are also thinking that our experience as MedTechs will not be complete if we did not experience being positive,” Joyce said.

Joy agreed, saying that they could not avoid being infected and that they would just have to stay strong despite the discrimination they and other healthcare workers in the region are facing.

“It’s already expected because it’s not far from our line of work. We’re the ones handling and processing the specimens, so we can’t avoid the fact that we would be infected too. You shouldn’t give up, because you swore an oath to do it, so whatever happens, you have to accept it and just continue. The discrimination is already there around you, it’s up to you on how you can handle it,” she said.

Joy-Joy added that it was part of their calling and their contribution to the community as Medical Technologists.

“There’s a pandemic right now. This is our calling, and if we weren’t there, who would help the people? We’re also thinking that this is for everyone in the community. This is our way of helping,” she said.

 

PRESSURE

Joyce admitted that they did feel tired because of the pressure of their work, but they take inspiration from their other colleagues at SNL.

While the six infected MedTechs are currently under isolation, other members of their 22-person technical staff, who were identified as close contacts, are under 14-day quarantine.

“It’s tiring because the whole of Iloilo, city and province, gives the specimen only to us. We’re just making our colleagues in the SNL as our inspiration, that we are one as family, that even when we are tired, when we wake up, our will to work is there. The only goal is common good, because if we don’t work, who will do the work for us? We were affected because even if only six were infected, others had to undergo quarantine and work was compromised,” Joyce said.

Joy agreed that they do feel pressured but they always remind themselves not to rush their jobs and try to do well despite feeling weak.

“Right now, we’re feeling the increase in demand for us, that’s why we’re trying what we can so we can finish, but we’re making sure that we are doing it well. We can’t rush it, so we hope that the people will understand that there are only a few of us processing there. We’re already going on overtime so we can finish our work, that’s why we lost sleep and weakened our bodies, and maybe that’s also why we were able to be infected,” Joy said.

 

COPING

The three MedTechs, along with three other colleagues who had tested positive, are waiting to end their 14-day isolation by filling up their time with food, sleep and recreation.

“Every morning, we are being monitored. Our temperature and blood pressure are being taken. They ask us if we are feeling anything. If we need antibiotics, they give us. They also follow-up our x-rays. The only thing we do is eat, sleep, and if there is internet connection, go to Facebook, entertain ourselves, and talk to our colleagues at the lab. Sometimes, we exercise and do TikTok,” said Joyce.

They said that they will return to work when they are negative in the repeat testing and when they are deemed fit to return to work.

Joyce pleaded with the public to stay at home as much as possible to help the region’s frontliners.

“We’re just asking for cooperation, for the people to stay at home. We in the hospitals are doing everything we can to cater them. They should understand that we health workers also get tired, so hopefully they help us by not going around too much. They should stay at home and not go out too much because the time might come that even hospital workers run out too. Who will help us then?” She said.

The WVMC-SNL is only one of two hospitals in Panay Island to be accredited by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to conduct COVID-19 tests via the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) technique.