Declared COVID-free, Angara sent home

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sonny Angara was declared free of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and was sent home yesterday after several days in the emergency room of an undisclosed hospital in Metro Manila.

“After several days in the ER and the COVID wing, my doctors finally sent me home today negative for the virus and pneumonia free,” Angara said in an Instagram post.

“Big, big thanks to my doctors and nurses for taking care of me and to my family, loved ones, friends for all the prayers, letters and food that you sent. Am truly grateful for the gift of life and even more so now for those at the frontlines who safeguard our lives and protect our society,” he added.

The post included a photo of a “welcome home” sign taped to a door of his house apparently written by his youngest child.

Angara was found positive for COVID-19 last March 26 and admitted to the hospital towards the end of month.

It was during this confinement that he met nurses and doctors “who don’t go home anymore, some even doing double duty in other hospitals.”

“They truly, truly are REAL HEROES,” his post read. “Salamat po and God bless everyone. Hope everyone is safe at home.”

PGH starts patient transfers

National Task Force against COVID-19 response chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) would transfer today the “asymptomatic and symptomatic” patients to the Rizal Memorial complex, which was converted into a quarantine facility for COVID-19 cases.

“Our strategy is to transfer patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms. It will also be manned by three doctors and 50 nurses from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) medical services,” he said.

The repurposed Rizal Memorial Complex (RMC) features air-conditioned cubicles, free food for patients and frontliners, free internet connection, and 24/7 monitoring by AFP and PNP doctors and nurses.

Aside from this, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) and World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) will also open this week.

Galvez assured doctors that the NTF is prioritizing the distribution of essential medical supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE) to both government and private hospitals across Metro Manila.

He cited the distribution of 12,000 PPE sets to COVID-19 designated hospitals—Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine General Hospital and Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital—as well as to the AFP Medical Center, East Avenue Medical Center and San Lazaro Hospital.

Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa yesterday revealed that three more police officers have tested positive for COVID-19—a 31-year-old policewoman from Laguna, a 41-year-old policeman from Cavite, and a 45-year-old from Batangas.

He added that 15 PNP personnel have now tested positive for COVID-19, including the two policemen who died after battling the infectious disease.

PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said at least 268 PNP personnel were removed from the list of persons under monitoring (PUMs) while 1,332 remain.

He added that 280 personnel are categorized as patients under investigation, 29 of whom were admitted to the Kiangan Billeting Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City. – With Jose Rodel Clapano, Sheila Crisostomo, Emmanuel Tupas