LIEUTENANT General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, the commander of the Administrative Support for Joint COVID Task Force yesterday said they are currently monitoring 341 ‘active cases’ in the force where 27 have already died while 8,722 out of the total 9,091 policemen who contracted the disease have already fully recovered and are now back in full duty status.
In a report to PNP chief, General Debold M. Sinas, the official said they also have 56 police personnel who are considered Persons Under Monitoring/Close Contact; 188 Suspected cases and 158 Probable cases to date.
Eleazar , also the PNP Deputy Chief for Administration said that the 8,722 police officers and men who fully recovered from their bout with COVID-19 comprise 95.94 percent of the total 9,091 confirmed cases in the force from March 16 last year up to last Sunday.
However, he said they expect the number to rise amid an all-out effort of the PNP leadership to ensure the testing of all its personnel nationwide.
Lt. Gen. Eleazar said that as of last Sunday, the following number of police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19: 337 assigned at the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame; 2,620 from the different National Operational Support Units; and 6,134 from the 17 Police Regional Offices.
Of the active cases; 27 are assigned at the NHQ; 171 from the NSUs; and 143 from the PROs.
Of the 8,722 who recovered, 309 are from the NHQ; 2,436 from the NOSUs; and 5,977 from the PROs.
Of the 27 deaths; one of the fatalities is assigned at the NHQ; 12 from the NSUs; and 14 from the PROs.
Lt. Gen. Eleazar said that as of last Sunday, 13 police personnel remained in the hospital while 328 are in PNP-run quarantine facilities.
Shortly after last Christmas,Sinas opened the PNP COVID-19 Emergency Treatment Facility in Camp Crame established to cater to police personnel who have tested positive for the virus while waiting to be accommodated to other hospitals if needed.
As of Snday, a total of 78,793 policemen have been subjected to an RT-PCR test; 2,285 of them from the NHQ; 25,577 from the NOSUs; and 50,931 from the PROs, more than 17,000 of them from the National Capital Region Police Office.
Eleazar said they are progressing on their move to test their men for the virus specifically those assigned in Metro Manila.
“But because of this aggressive testing, maraming nagpa-positive kaya nga ang focus namin is to have a more effective contact tracing dito sa NHQ and with the help of the different Station Health Units of the PNP as ordered by Gen. Sinas,” the PNP’s no. 2 man said.
The facility is actually the Kiangan Billeting Center whose 55 beds have been converted to treatment areas for patients, manned by six doctors, 54 nurses, 36 others allied health workers and six ambulance drivers divided into three teams, said PNP Health Service director, Brigadier Gen. Nolasco K. Bathan who also announced that they have three brand-new top-of-the line ambulances donated by AFPSLAI to the PNP.
The facility is now accommodating PNP personnel who have tested positive for the virus and are having difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath. While waiting for private hospital rooms, they will be required to stay in the area.
Sinas ordered the conversion of the Kiangan center into a special COVID-19 facility as part of his effort to take care of policemen who have contracted the virus while in the performance of their duties.
The facility has its own nurse stations, a CCTV and a public address system, an internet connectivity and quartering for medical staff. Its patients will be automatically provided with basic health and hygiene kits upon entry.
Bathan said that it also has a treatment room, a transition area from clean to contaminated area and an acure area care for the monitoring of unstable patients until they become stable.
