The Municipal Health Officer (MHO) of Baclayon says there is no cover up on the reported burial of two Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) fatalities which was done within 12 hours after death in the hospital.
Dr. Luvimae Tambis, Baclayon MHO, in an exclusive telephone interview on Wednesday, said the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) protocols mandate SARI patients that pass away are supposed to be buried within 12 hours after death. She said the cause of death of the two SARI patients is acute respiratory failure pneumonia high risk.
The MHO made the clarification following the reaction of some people, saying allegedly there is a cover up on the immediate burial of SARI patients after passing away.
Baclayon Mayor Benny Uy, in a radio interview over Newsmakers ug Uban Pa last Tuesday, categorically denied any cover up on the immediate burial of the SARI patients who died last Sunday.
Speculations of cover up surfaced since the SARI patients were buried immediately, which is a process that also applies to a patient that died due to Covid infection. There are some who suspected and that there is “something” about the immediate burial of the SARI fatalities.
Tambis declined to be interviewed live on air and settled for a telephone interview.
She confirmed that there were two SARI patients who died last May 10, 2020. One of the patients is 95 years old while the other is an 86-year-old patient.
The two patients were admitted to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH) and classified as SARI patients, Tambis said.
As per protocol, the SARI patients were buried within 12 hours regardless if the patients tested positive for Covid infection, Tambis explained.
Further, she said the hospital automatically subjected the two patients to swab tests to determine whether or not they are infected of the Covid virus.
As of writing, the test results are unavailable and still pending, Tambis bared.
In a separate text message, Kevin Damalerio, the executive assistant to the governor, told the Bohol Tribune that SARI patients who pass away are immediately buried not because they are Covid infected but due to the DoH protocol.
He said that contact tracing will only happen if the SARI patients tested positive of Covid infection as per protocol.
According to Damalerio based on his conversation with Technical Working Group (TWG) spokesman Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez, Bohol has an average of 600 to 700 SARI cases a month based on statistics in the past three years.
He assured the public that all SARI patients who are admitted to the GCGMH are automatically subjected to swab tests.