Another Cebu cop dies of COVID

MANILA, Philippines — Another police officer has died of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the latest fatality, 45, was a member of the Central Visayas police in Cebu City.

Last week, a police officer assigned with the crime laboratory at the Abellana police station and another with the Crisis Response Battalion, also in Cebu City, died of COVID-19.

Nine police officers have died of the disease.

Banac said eight more police officers tested positive for the virus, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the PNP to 507.

Banac said 258 or 58.6 percent have recovered.

Meanwhile, 10 of the 25 personnel of the Cebu City police who were found infected with the virus in rapid tests last week are among the new confirmed cases in the city, police chief Col. Cydric Earl Tamayo said.

Sixty-nine police officers in Cebu City have been infected of the virus as of yesterday. Thirty are active cases.

The PNP is pushing the construction of another COVID-19 testing facility in Cebu to increase its capability in tracking down and treating infected police officers.

31 new cases, 7 deaths

The Cebu City health department recorded 31 new cases yesterday. The number of those infected in the city is now 4,479.

Seven deaths were also recorded yesterday, bringing the number of fatalities to 89.

Thirty-one have recovered, raising the number of recoveries to 2,177.

In Pangasinan, a police officer assigned in Taguig City who went home in Barangay Navatat in Basista on June 17 tested positive for COVID-19.

Basista Mayor Jolly Resuello said the police officer was found negative for the virus in rapid anti-body test.

Resuello said the patient remains asymptomatic.

OFWs infected

In Isabela, three persons, two of them overseas Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia and Barbados, are the latest cases in Aurora town.

Mayor Joseph Christian Uy said the three arrived from Manila on June 18.

Uy said the two OFWs were allowed to go home to their hometown after they tested negative for the virus in Manila.

Aurora has four confirmed cases.

A 63-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy were added to the list of confirmed cases in Santiago City.

Cagayan Valley now has 56 cases. Thirty-eight have recovered and one died. Eva Visperas, Raymund Catindig, Iris Hazel Mascardo, Alicia Chua/The Freeman