Eight nuns of the Congregation of the Religious of The Virgin Mary (RVM Sisters) convent died after testing positive for COVID-19.
The victims ranged in age from 80 to 90 and were among 62 nuns remaining at St. Joseph Home and Convent in Quezon City who tested positive for the virus.
“The personnel are still young, so they are on the road to recovery. Some Sisters are moving from symptomatic to asymptomatic. Eight of the Sisters, aged 90s and 80s, afflicted with COVID returned home to our heavenly Father,” and RVM Sister Ma. Anicia Co., congregation spokesperson.
The congregation also denied the news that the non -vaccination of nuns and personnel was the reason for the spread of the disease in the convent because there were vaccinations in May and June among their ranks.
The only ones who were not vaccinated were the eight nuns who died because they already had diseases.
“It was not the decision of the RVM congregation nor the leaders nor the Sister Administrator of the St. Joseph Home that they would not be vaccinated. The Sister Administrator actually followed up later for their vaccination, but it did not come soon,” said Co.
8 nuns in QC convent die of COVID-19
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the convent is 117, and there are still 136 pending results, according to Dr. Rolando Cruz, head of the QC Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit.
Meanwhile, 19 nuns at the Stella Maris Convent tested positive for COVID-19, where the index case was a nun who went out to buy necessities.
The convent is now locked down, so the barangay helps with the needs of the nuns and employees.
Two buildings at Christ the King Mission Seminary were also subjected to granular lockdown, Cruz said. It is yet to be confirmed whether a priest died due to COVID-19, he added.
Early this month, 111 children at Gentle Hands orphanage in Quezon City also tested positive for COVID-19.
The orphanage administration said no person was going in or out of the Gentle Hands orphanage before the vaccination of their staff in August 2021.
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