SENATOR Aquilino 'Koko' Pimentel III on Thursday apologized to the Makati Medical Center after he accompanied his pregnant wife to the hospital despite being under quarantine for suspected coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
"I apologize to MMC for being in their hospital [on] the evening of March 24, 2020 which they deemed to be a breach of their safety/containment protocols," Pimentel, who tested positive for the virus, said in a statement.
The apology came a day after the MMC, through medical director Saturnino 'Bong' Javier MD, slammed the former Senate President for entering the premises of the hospital's delivery room complex, "thus, unduly exposing healthcare workers to possible infection."
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Netizens, including sports personalities, have also come down hard on Pimentel, who, after the incident came to light on Wednesday, explained that he prompty left the hospital after getting a call informing him about the positive test result.
Here are a few:
[twitter:https://twitter.com/jeffreichan16/status/1242788940026802177]
[twitter:https://twitter.com/ryanarana/status/1243031787955052547]
[twitter:https://twitter.com/AgathaWongy/status/1242764788830093313]
MMC bared on Tuesday that Pimentel exposed 'six to eight medical staff' to the virus during his stay in the hospital.
PImentel said he only realized now that his presence at MMC "unnecessarily caused additional anguish and concern to the courageous frontline health workers we all depend on."
"I was simply there to be with my wife during the birth of our daughter," he added.
The senator said wife Kathryna is still confined at MMC.
"I ask that they take care of her and the baby still inside her tummy even when they say that I have breached their protocols," said Pimentel, who insisted that he never exhibited persistent coughing prior to testing positive.
"I shall be open to any communication the MMC would want to have with me about this. I just ask for everyone’s understanding and compassion and allow me first to recover from COVID-19," he added.
Source: Spin PH
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