THE NUMBER of police officers infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has exceeded 500 while the death toll has risen to nine, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Tuesday.
The latest data from the PNP Health Service as of Monday night showed cops infected with Covid-19 across the country have increased to 507. So far, 287 have already recovered while 652 probable cases and 868 suspect cases are under monitoring.
PNP patient 47, who had previously recovered from Covid-19, was readmitted after testing positive based on swab test conducted by the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 (Western Visayas) as part of their standard health protocols. The patient was reassigned from the PNP National Headquarters to PRO 6.
On Monday, PNP chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa, said more than 100 of the Covid-19 cases among cops came from Central Visayas.
"I think there are 122 (cops) who are positive sa (in) Cebu... masyado nang marami (that is already too many) that's why we are putting up our RT/PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) testing facility there," Gamboa said.
Currently, the PNP is seeking the approval of the Department of Health regarding a suitable site for the proposed testing laboratory in Central Visayas.
Gamboa mobilized the PNP Command Group through PNP Deputy Chief for Administration, Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, head of the Administrative Support to Covid-19 Operations Task Force (ASCOTF), to fast-track the construction of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) laboratory in Central Visayas.
“It is in protecting our own PNP personnel that we are able to protect the Filipino people better,” Gamboa said.
On May 26, the PNP opened its first RT-PCR laboratory at Camp Crame in Quezon City. The facility has a capacity of conducting 150 tests per day.
Cebu City has been reverted to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) upon recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) following a recent spike in Covid-19 cases in the city. (By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)
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