Provincial Health Officer Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez reiterates the need to follow the protocol as a means to curb the spread of the Coronavirus disease (Covid), especially when dealing with situations involving a symptomatic person, who is also a first generation close contact.
Lopez made his position known in a radio interview over Open Forum on Feb. 3, 2022 hosted by Gloria Leodivica-Araneta.
In the interview, Lopez reacted to a situation involving a symptomatic employee of a service company who was told to report for work even if there was already a medical certificate issued by a physician indicating the employee was “not fit to work”. The said employee happens to be also a close contact of a Covid-positive person.
The employee was told by the company to secure a certificate from the barangay where he/she resides before skipping work. The certificate indicated, indeed, that indeed the employee had symptoms.
Lopez said that if a person who is a close contact of a Covid-positive patient and symptomatic, the protocol dictates the said person should immediately go into isolation and should no longer be allowed to go to work.
“Unang una, klaro gyud kaayo sa gisaysay nato nga circumstances anang tawhana nga sya is a symtomatic Covid-suspect [patient] gayud sya being a first gen[eration], not only a casual contact, pero identified gayud na first gen[eration contact]. Labi pa kay symptomatic siya. So the person was very correct in going to his/her doctor. Unya si doctor pud insakto gayud siya,” Lopez said.
The PHO added that the person was supposed to be in isolation immediately because he/she had symptoms and was a first generation contact of a confirmed Covid-positive patient.
The employee should be in isolation regardless of vaccination status, Lopez added.
Lopez bared that there is no need for a clearance from a barangay captain in this kind of situation. The doctor’s unfit to work finding is already sufficient to allow the employee to skip work momentarily.
The PHO said that the new protocol from the Department of Health (DOH) mandates an isolation period of at least 7 days for fully vaccinated individuals. For partially vaccinated/unvaccinated persons, the isolation period should be 10 days, he said.
Lopez added the company should follow what the protocol says which was to allow the employee to stay in isolation.
The symptomatic employee, if forced to work, carries the potential of transmitting the disease to other people like co-workers, the PHO OIC explained.
A medical doctor is the competent individual to determine if a person is unfit to work or not because the former knows the protocol and the procedure, Lopez quipped.
The doctor is also looking at the possibility that the symptomatic person poses a health risk to other people if not sent into isolation immediately, Lopez said.
Lopez added that a company, which would force a person to work even he/she is unfit because of a communicable disease, may be liable for violating provisions of Republic Act 11332.
The company which would defy the protocol may be liable for non cooperation which is one of the prohibited acts under the said law, Lopez quipped.
CHO’S POSITION
In a radio interview also over Open Forum on Feb. 2, 2022 hosted by Atty. Greg Austral and Dave Albarado, City Health Office (CHO) spokesman Robin Culpa said that the finding of the attending physician is enough to allow a Covid-suspect employee to skip work in order to go into isolation.
Culpa said the barangay captains are only allowed to issue certificates after a Covid-suspected person has been deemed recovered, after completing the mandated period of isolation.
Culpa said it would be best for the symptomatic employee to get tested for Covid and if found positive, should go into isolation immediately as the health authorities conduct contact tracing activities.