Is COVID-19 really a blessing in disguise? Nurse dies after hit-and-run incident while traveling to work

• A nurse was pronounced dead on arrival after being a victim of a hit-and-run.
• Health Secretary Duque has earlier stated that the pandemic might be a “blessing in disguise.”

Just a few days ago, Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that the COVID-19 pandemic might actually be a “blessing in disguise” as it opened opportunities for introducing health reforms.

“This can also be some kind of a blessing in disguise, serendipitous. Kasi parang na-accelerate iyong universal healthcare because of COVID-19. It is a catalyst,” he said during a webinar hosted by the University of the Philippines.

But is it still a blessing in disguise for people like the family of the 23-year-old male nurse who lost his life after a hit-and-run incident in Ermita, Manila on the evening of August 23?

As mass transportation has current limitations due to the general community quarantine (GCQ), Renz Jayson Perez opted to purchase a new mountain bike to use to and from work.

According to a witness, he saw the accident while he was riding a motorcycle along Padre Burgos Avenue when he saw the victim along the corner of Maria Orosa Street after being reportedly hit by a pick-up truck that sped towards Delphan Bridge.

The victim was rushed by the Philippine Red Cross responders to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) but was pronounced dead on arrival almost two hours after the accident.

In a statement, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital mourned the passing of its former employee.

“Nagsilbi siya ng buong tapang at pagmamahal sa mga pasyente at patuloy siyang nag-aruga sa mga ito sa panahon ng COVID-19 bilang isang frontliner,” the statement said.

“Isa siyang mapagmahal na anak, kapatid, katrabaho at kaibigan. Hangad naming lahat na nawa’y makamit mo ang hustisya.”

Perez was a nursing graduate of the Universidad de Manila and has worked at JJASGH for six months.