Forty-three employees of Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) have contracted coronavirus disease (COVID-19), RITM director Dr. Celia Carlos confirmed.
Carlos said the infected individuals show ‘mild to slightly serious symptoms’ and are currently under quarantine in one of their dormitory facilities.
Last April 18, Dr. Tony Leachon, adviser of an inter-agency task force on COVID-19, posted on Facebook that RITM has diluted its operations in consideration of its staff’s health condition.
As a result, some 5,000 specimens remain pending in RITM laboratories, Before this, RITM could process up to 2,000 tests per day.
Per Department of Heath data, a total of 766 health workers are infected with the virus, 22 of which have died.
