More than 1,000 Catholic devotees have sought medical consultations in the aftermath of the greatly attended Feast of Black Nazarene on Sunday in Manila.
The Department of Health (DOH) advised those who experienced COVID-19 symptoms after coming out of the annual religious festivity in Quiapo, Manila to immediate isolate themselves and seek medical assistance.
The DOH logged a total of 1,046 consultations by people who attended the famous religious rites with the minor basilica of Quiapo Church as the center stage.
Majority of them or 788 cases involved cardio-related complaints such as hypertension, chest pain, and blood pressure.
Exactly 148 cases were neurological, notably headache and dizziness, while 85 others were trauma-related such as wounds and lacerations, the DOH said.
There were also 13 consultations related to respiratory illnesses such as difficult breathing and asthma, while seven complained of stomach pain.
An estimated two million devotees joined the three -day celebration of the Black Nazarene this year, according to church officials.
Tens of thousands of Catholic faithful walked through the streets of Manila early Sunday to pay homage to the iconic black image of Jesus Christ, which was believed to have miraculous powers.
This year’s parade replaced the traditional frenzied procession, which used to involve hundreds of thousands of believers pulling the bigger-than-life statue through the crowded streets of Manila in the vicinity of the Quiapo Church.
One of the biggest displays of Catholic devotion in the Philippines, the Traslacion was cancelled for 3 years in a row due to COVID-19 pandemic.
“Kung saka-sakali lamang pong makakaramdam na parang tinatrangkaso, sinisipon, inuubo, nilalagnat, mag-isolate na agad at tumawag sa ating local governments for proper management,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing.
The DOH also encouraged the attendees to wear face masks for the next five days to prevent the possible transmission of coronavirus.
As of Jan. 9, the Philippines registered a total of 12,267 active COVID-19 cases, the DOH’s COVID-19 tracker showed.
