Another COVID-19 Patient in Baguio City Discloses Identity

Another frontliner from Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) who tested positive from COVID-19 revealed her identity to the public today.

In her personal Facebook post shared through PIO-Baguio’s Facebook page, Marissa Mendoza, a 34-year old nursing attendant at BGHMC, shared her accounts in battling the disease. According to her, the initial swab test she took last April 19, 2020 came out negative. Five days after, she took another swab test due to sore throat, headache, and runny nose, despite being asymptomatic. She tested positive for the disease on April 26, 2020.

She decided to reveal her identity to heed the call of the city government for transparency and faster contact tracing to prevent further transmissions of the virus. Mendoza is calling on persons who have been in contact with her to go into self-quarantine or immediately seek the attention of medical authorities if symptoms are being experienced.

I am Marissa Mendoza, 34 a Nursing Attendant at BGHMC. I had a swab test done at Infectious Disease Building of BGHMC last april 19, 2020 the results is Negative. Repeated the swab test april 24, 2020 because i am symptomatic that time with soarthroat, headache and runny nose. Confirmed Positive results were released april 26, 2020.

Having an ailment is no joke nowadays more so if what you’ve got is that dreaded, insidious menace called COVID-19.

As a health worker, I am fully aware of the challenges of a COVID-19 patient — physical, psychological and whatnots. On top of it all is the fear of ostracization as if we intentionally put it upon ourselves to contract that virus. When in fact, we are all just victims of it.

I too am afraid but I have an obligation to save lives thus in response to Mayor Benjie Magalong’s call for transparency and selflessness, I am stepping out to help our city’s efforts on contact tracing and in preventing more transmissions.

I am therefore calling on persons who I came in contact with to go on self-quarantine and to seek medical attention of experiencing symptoms.

-Marissa Mendoza