The agency managing the Gentle Hands orphanage in Quezon City, where 111 children acquired COVID-19, denied that an asymptomatic visitor spread the virus in the facility.
“It is not true that an asymptomatic visitor spread the virus because we have not received any visitors at all, due to the fact that some of the children are immunocompromised and we have prohibited non-members of the staff from going inside the facility,” Charity Graff, executive director of Gentle Hands Inc., said in a statement.
“While it is true that several individuals have tested positive in our facility, the source of the infection is still being traced,” she added.
She said no patient “is suffering from respiratory distress,” and those with varying degrees of symptoms are already being managed.
The Gentle Hands official added they do not want the “wrongful information” to spread. She added they had followed strict health protocols “beyond the minimum” to protect everyone in the orphanage.
Gentle Hands orphanage denies asymptomatic visitor spread virus
Graff noted that they have actually been under quarantine for 540 days.
She added that no person was going in or out of the Gentle Hands orphanage before the vaccination of their staff in August 2021.
“In the discussion with the Quezon City Government, we were directed not to disclose the situation publicly, and we have faithfully complied with this directive. However, recent inaccurate news, made without verification with us, have left us no choice but to publicly clarify matters. We are very concerned because we are a child caring agency and we have exerted all efforts to protect the privacy of our children,” the agency said.
Earlier, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte reported that 111 children were among the 143 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Gentle Hands orphanage.
Dr. Rolando Cruz, Quezon City’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) chief, said an asymptomatic adult allegedly visited the orphanage and unknowingly brought the coronavirus, which spread among the children and staff.
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