PNP virus count hits 671

MANILA, Philippines — The number of police officers infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 has reached 671, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

Citing data from the Department of Health, PNP chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa said the figure accounted for 1.9 percent of the total COVID-19 cases recorded by the DOH nationwide.

Gamboa said 342 police personnel have recovered from the disease. The number of deaths stood at nine.

Of those who recovered, 211 were declared fit to return to duty and 131 are still completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

As of yesterday, the PNP has 320 active cases of COVID-19, 287 of whom are in quarantine facilities, 18 are in hospitals and 15 are undergoing home quarantine.

A majority of the PNP cases were recorded in Metro Manila with 285, followed by Central Visayas with 169, particularly in Cebu province where COVID-19 infections among police officers have increased in the past weeks.

“This is the reason why we deployed augmentation forces in Cebu City. The Police Regional Office 7 may have to adopt rotational deployment of personnel in lockdown areas if some officers need to undergo quarantine,” Gamboa said.

He said the PNP’s own testing center in Cebu City is expected to be completed in a month.

“Hopefully the accreditation of medical technologists and delivery of the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machines could be expedited,” Gamboa said.

The PNP’s first COVID-19 testing facility at Camp Crame in Quezon City has been operating since last month.