Five midwives and a nurse in Iloilo province’s Carles town tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, more than a month after receiving their first dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, confirmed Dr. Ronald Betita, chief of the town’s Rural Health Unit (RHU).

Betita said the six health workers were already placed under facility quarantine.

The RHU chief said the six health workers received their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine early March. On April 28, an RHU nurse showed mild signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and immediately underwent swab test. The result came out positive on the same day.

All other RHU personnel including Betita also underwent swab tests on April 29 wherein five midwives tested positive for the virus.

Betita said the COVID-19-positive health workers will receive their second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine 10 days after they have fully recovered from the disease.

As of yesterday, Carles has a total of 62 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 11 are active, 50 recoveries and one death./WDJ