DOH Says Cremation of COVID-19 Deceased Is Observed Globally
DOH – The Department of Health spoke on the cremation of the people who died of COVID-19 or those linked to the said disease.
The Philippines is one of the countries that was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Filipinos died and the economy of the nation greatly suffered due to the changes that had to be implemented as part of the efforts to fight the spread of the virus.
There were months when strict measures had to be set to limit the mobility of the people. Several businesses were not able to cope with the restrictions and had no choice but to temporarily or permanently close.
Meanwhile, the COVID cases in the country have dropped. The whole nation remains under restrictions but most areas now are under Alert Level 1, the loosest measure.
One of the protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic is the cremation of the people who died of the disease or those who were suspected to have died of the said disease. Recently, the Department of Health (DOH) spoke on the said protocol.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, at the sidelines of “PinaLakas” campaign, DOH OIC Undersecretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire stressed that the cremation of the deceased due to COVID-19 is part of the law. According to her, it is not only part of the restrictions but also part of the sanitation not just in the country “but all over the world”.
The DOH OIC stressed that the cremation protocol for deceased COVID-19 patients can never be lifted. She explained that a person who died of an infectious disease can still infect other people even hours after death.
Dr. Rontgene Solante, an expert on infectious diseases, supported the statement of Vergeire saying it would be risky not to cremate the deceased as the body can contaminate and transfer the infection to those who will handle it.
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