4 more cops die of COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Four more members of the police force died of COVID-19 in the past three days.

The latest deaths prompted an appeal from Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar for PNP personnel to get their COVID jabs as soon as possible.

“Paulit-ulit po ang ating paalala sa lahat ng pulis na magpabakuna. Isa po ito sa ating proteksyon laban sa naturang virus,” Eleazar said.

Two of the PNP members died on Saturday.

One of the fatalities is a 49-year-old assigned in Central Visayas who was confined in a hospital on Aug. 2. He died of pneumonia secondary to COVID.

The other is a 48-year-old policewoman assigned at Camp Crame.

She was admitted at the Kiangan Emergency Treatment Facility on July 30 and transferred to a hospital on Aug. 7 when her condition worsened. She died while being intubated.

A 41-year-old policeman from Central Visayas died on Sunday, three weeks after he tested positive for the virus.

Eleazar said a 34-year-old policeman from Metro Manila died on Monday, a week after he was found infected.

The patient is the only one among the fatalities who had been vaccinated. He received his first dose on Aug. 4.

At least 96 PNP personnel have died of COVID-19 since last year, 66 of them since January.

The PNP recorded 176 new cases yesterday, pushing the active infections to 1,985.

Eleazar said 81,125 or 36.51 percent of PNP personnel have been fully vaccinated while 95,345 or 42.92 percent have received their first dose.

At the Caraga police headquarters at Camp Rodriquez in Butuan City, a no vaccine, no entry policy is being implemented.

Caraga police spokesperson Maj. Dorothy Tumulak said only fully vaccinated PNP personnel and civilian employees are allowed entry into the camp.

Visitors are required to present a negative swab test result.

Caraga is the only region where the highly contagious Delta variant has not been detected.