The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said 22 health care workers have died after contracting coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while working on the frontlines to combat the spread of the disease.
In a virtual press briefing, health assistant secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire announced that there are now 766 healthcare workers who COVID-19 in the Philippines. Of the total, DOH said 339 are doctors while 242 are nurses.
The agency did not disclose the professions of the remaining 185 individuals who were part of the latest tally.
The number of health workers who contracted the disease increased by three-fold from the reported 252 medical workers who tested positive for COVID-19 on April 8.
Healthcare workers account for 13% of the country’s cases which has surged to 5,878 on Friday.
The Philippine government has started to distribute personal protective equipment (PPEs) more than three weeks after healthcare professionals called on the government to address the shortage of protective gear in the country.
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