BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
An unvaccinated woman who was pregnant for seven months died of COVID-19 Sunday, the Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) reported yesterday.
The woman’s unborn child also died, the EOC-TF said.
According to EOC-TF’s contact tracing investigation report, the woman started experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, colds, sore throat, and difficulty in breathing as early as August 27 but refused to see a doctor.
Her husband brought her to a private hospital after eight days of exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. When she was tested thru RT PCR, her result showed that she was positive for COVID-19.
EOC-TF urges pregnant and recently pregnant women to have themselves vaccinated, as they are more likely to experience severe illness due to Covid-19.
According to the World Health Organization, the benefits of the vaccine may be greatest for pregnant women at highest risk from Covid-19, such as frontline health workers, people living in areas of high transmission, and those with health conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes that add to their risk of severe disease.
The WHO and the Department of Health have recommended that pregnant women get any of the Covid-19 vaccines currently available.
The city’s vaccination drive prioritizes expecting mothers. Special lanes are provided for them for their convenience during vaccination.
Meanwhile, the City Government continues to strongly urge Bacolod residents to volunteer themselves for swabbing at the onset of symptoms appearing not more than four days of experiencing illness.
The Bacolod Respiratory Outpatient Center offers free swabbing and RT-PCR tests for individuals experiencing COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms.
Bacolod is proactively offering several flexible methods to get COVID-19 jabs.
These include the VAX-i mobile vaccination drive which mobilizes four buses around the city as well as personnel for onsite visits; barangay and cluster vaccination; mall-based vaccination (Ayala Malls Capitol Central, CityMall Goldenfield, CityMall Mandalagan, Gaisano City, Robinsons Place Bacolod, SM City); Graveyard Shift Vaccination Drive for night-duty BPO workers – the only one of its kind in the country; two drive-thru vaccination sites; and 24/7 vaccination drive at Jollibee Gatuslao and Jollibee East.*
