Two security guards at Pasar Minggu General Hospital in South Jakarta have been confirmed to have caught COVID-19 while they were restraining a disorderly patient.
A video taken earlier this week shows the two guards and two medical workers restraining a COVID-19 patient, who, amid his struggles and coughs, was angrily demanding that he be given a room at the hospital.
The two health workers were fully covered with medical PPE, but the security guards only had face masks on for protection.
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Sadly, the guards were sufficiently exposed to the virus during the fracas.
“According to the head of the health center, the security guards now have COVID,” Pasar Minggu Police Chief Bambang Handoko told reporters this morning.
Bambang added that one health worker had a hole ripped on his protective clothing during the incident, but there are no reports yet whether he and his colleague have been infected.
As for the patient, Bambang said he had grown tired of waiting for a room and threatened to leave the hospital. The security guards and health workers then prevented him from leaving to minimize the risk of the patient spreading the disease outside.
It’s not yet known if the patient has received treatment amid widespread reports of Jakarta hospitals being overwhelmed by the alarming surge of COVID-19 cases over the past couple of weeks.
