Pattern Of COVID-19 Transmission For Health Workers

Illustrations (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Medical personnel are most vulnerable to becoming victims of the corona virus or COVID-19. Some of them died after serving as the frontline for preventing this virus.

There are many ways to contract the medical personnel. Most of these occur because they have direct contact with patients when treating positive patients with COVID-19. However, a new pattern has emerged regarding the transmission of the virus to medical personnel. The spread occurs because many patients lie about their medical history.

This pattern has caused 11 medical personnel in the Bekasi City area to be infected. They tested positive for COVID-19 based on the results of a swab examination.

Head of the Bekasi City Branch of the Indonesian Doctors Association Komaruddin Askar said that dozens of infected medical personnel were general practitioners and specialists. They were strongly suspected of having contracted them at the time of the examination.

"The patient did not convey to the doctor who checked that he had contact with the positive one. After we got back to him, we just knew, because the patient being examined had contact with family and friends," said Komaruddin, Wednesday, April 22.

Of the dozens of medical personnel, some of them have recovered. Meanwhile, the rest are still undergoing independent care and isolation.

With the emergence of this spreading pattern, said Komaruddin, it is hoped that medical personnel will always use personal protective equipment (PPE) when examining patients who have symptoms of COVID-19.

"There are 6 doctors isolated in each house, 1 doctor is treated at the hospital, and 4 doctors are declared cured," he said.

Management of the Indonesian Public Health Expert Association (IAKMI), Syahrizal Syarief, said that the transmission pattern was due to patient error and medical attention. Supposedly, when experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, patients must be honest about their history and daily life. So, medical personnel can find out the disease that is being suffered.

"Actually, it is true that people must be honest about their history because this plague is also related to historical issues," said Syahrizal.

Meanwhile, mistakes on the side of medical personnel, said Syahrizal, should have been during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were obliged to undergo existing procedures using PPE as the first bastion in preventing transmission.

Then, in each hospital, screening activities must also be carried out at the entrance. Especially in the emergency room which has a great potential for the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

"It is the hospital that must take International Precautionary measures - preventive measures to protect infected health workers from patients," said Syahrizal.