By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia-As cases of the new coronavirus continues to soar in Bong County, Phebe hospital has temporarily closed its Emergency Room at the hospital after three nurses contracted the virus, a released from the hospital said on Friday, June 19, 2020.
The released said, “Currently at Phebe three of our ER Nurses in our employed have texted positive at the Hospital. They have been transfer to our mini Isolation units at Phebe. We have closed our ER to the public for disinfection of the place.
“Moreover, we want to inform our people that the entire Hospital is not closed as speculated in the public.”
This latest Coronavirus infection of Nurses in Bong comes as the number of confirmed cases increases nationally and in this centrally Liberian County in particular.
The Phebe Hospital has however said its OPD or Out Patients Department is currently operational.
“Other units in the Hospital will also be disinfected. Is our hope that we will fully open our ER to the public by next week. The Hospital’s administration is seeking support to the Hospital to handling these cases,” the Phebe management said.
In another development, The Administration of the African Fundamental Baptist Mission (AFBM) medical health center in Gbarnga has closed the center for two weeks.
This comes barely a week after this facility recorded two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus.
The two patients, who ar Physicians Assistants, are currently being quarantined at the 14 Military hospital in Margibi County, near Monrovia.
Both are husband and wife from the United States of America. And prior to the coronavirus infection, they worked with the facility.
The decision, according to Aaron Kulah Garyemah, the Administrator of the health facility is meant to protect nurses and others essential staffs at health center.
Mr. Garyemah said that they were advised by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to stay at home for the next fourteen days in order to slowdown the spread of the COVID-19 to their communities.
The Clinic was also closed in order to save the lives of the ordinary citizens that go for treatment that might contract the virus or even nurses at the facility.
After the fourteen days, the clinic will be opened to the public upon received of a call from the Ministry of Health, according to Mr. Garyemah.