3 cops positive for Delta variant

MANILA, Philippines — Three police officers were found positive for the COVID-19 Delta variant, the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced yesterday.

The three, who are assigned at the Aviation Security Group, are the first known cases to have been infected with the highly contagious variant of the virus, according to PNP deputy chief for administration Lt. Gen. Joselito Vera Cruz.

Vera Cruz, who heads the PNP’s Administrative Support for COVID-19 Task Force, said the police officers were found positive for COVID-19 last July and finished the mandatory 14-day isolation. However, it was only in August when they learned from the Philippine Genome Center that the three were infected with the Delta variant.

The three underwent another round of swab tests wherein one of them was found COVID-positive. The police officer was placed in an isolation facility.

One tested negative while the other police officer is still waiting for the result of his swab tests. Both are under home quarantine.

Vera Cruz said all the close contacts of the three police officers have tested negative for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, another police officer has succumbed to COVID-19.

The patient, a 48-year-old policeman from South Cotabato, was brought to a hospital last Aug. 1 due to headache and cough. He died on Aug. 9 of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

A total of 89 PNP members have died of COVID-19 since last year, 59 since last January.

There are 1,841 active cases in the PNP after 158 more personnel contracted the disease.

At least 32,077 police personnel have contracted COVID-19 since last year, with 30,147 or 93.98 percent of the patients making a full recovery.

A total of 72,898 PNP members are fully vaccinated while 78,544 have received their first dose of COVID-19 jabs.