THE Philippine National Police (PNP) will now lead contact tracing activities to identify suspected cases of novel coronavirus infection, PNP chief Archie Gamboa said on Tuesday, April 21.
Gamboa said Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año has directed the PNP to lead contact tracing, a task that was spearheaded by the Department of Health.
“Kami po ay naatasang mamuno sa contact tracing ng ating mga positibo at mga probable at suspected na mga cases, sana suportahan kami ng mga local government units at iba pang mga tao na dapat tumulong para mapaigting natin ang contact tracing dito sa buong Pilipinas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gamboa said the number of infected policemen has increased to 74. Three had died while 12 recovered.
He said there are 723 other policemen are considered probable and suspected cases of Covid-19.
In the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), 33 soldiers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or Sars-CoV-2.
AFP spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said 10 personnel are still confined while undergoing treatment while the others have already recovered.
He said 141 were listed as probable Covid-19 cases while 177 were considered as suspected cases.
The PNP and the AFP have assured that all measures in order to protect their personnel are in place. (SunStar Philippines)