A POLICE officer assigned in Central Luzon Police Regional Office (PRO-3) had died of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), bringing the death toll in the Philippine National Police (PNP) to 34.
The latest fatality was a 45-year-old police legal officer who succumbed to cardiac arrest secondary to Covid-19 on March 14, according to the PNP Public Information Office.
As of March 15, a total of 12,343 PNP personnel have contracted Covid-19, with 11,391 recoveries. There remained 918 active cases.
Another recent fatality was a 54-year-old officer with the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, PNP officer-in-charge, said they were verifying information from Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, that the fatality was a close contact of PNP Chief Debold Sinas and NCRPO director Major General Vicente Danao Jr.
Both Sinas and Danao have tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19 and are in isolation.
The 54-year-old cop died on March 12 due to acute respiratory failure secondary to pneumonia and Covid-19.
Sinas tested positive for the virus on Thursday, March 11, four days after he held a command conference at the NCRPO headquarters in Taguig City.
Eleazar said 98 persons were being observed after contact with Sinas.
Meanwhile, the Manila Police District (MPD) station in Binondo was placed on lockdown after 46 of its 121 personnel tested positive for the virus.
Eleazar said 37 others tested negative while 38 were still waiting for their test results. Eleven personnel did not undergo RT-PCR tests.
Eleazar said the Covid-positive police personnel were immediately brought to the isolation facility while the police office was disinfected.
As of Tuesday, March 16, Eleazar said 1,699 out of 1,845 police medical frontliners who have registered for Covid-19 vaccination have been inoculated.
Of the number, 1,632 received the Sinovac vaccine while 67 were administered with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The PNP had received an initial 700 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Eleazar said 30 experienced minor adverse reactions following vaccination. These have been resolved. (SunStar Philippines)